


Somewhere I can Belong

by nightwriterkohaku



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: ((removed some pairing tags because - though hinted - they didn't quite happen...meh)), Blood, Character Death, Loss of Virginity, Loveless AU, Multi, Slight Canon Divergence, and how did this turn into a reincarnation AU?!, character torment, fucking hell is all I'm able to write angst and bloody violent deaths?!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:14:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwriterkohaku/pseuds/nightwriterkohaku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren hated his ears.  They were seen by a stigma by most of society, and he was teased for them for most of his life.  Even so...maybe something good could come of them in the end.</p><p>Rated Mature for safety.</p><p>Now rated Explicit due to Chapter Eight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Do I Fit In?

**Author's Note:**

> Blame tumblr. The idea for this was found in the Eruren tag (but the person who posted also tagged it with Ereri). My OT3 is those three.
> 
> ...hence this fic. It's given me hell trying to fit the Loveless theme into the SnK universe, but I'm relatively happy with what I've got so far.
> 
> Edit: I just realized why people were asking if it was over XD Fixed that, because it IS a multi-chapter. I'm an idiot, I'm sorry! I'm still trying to figure out all the stuff on this site, so bear with me a bit if I screw up some, okay?

He'd always hated having these extra appendages, especially now that he was in the military. As a child, Eren didn't mind them as much, merely getting annoyed when his mother fussed over how dirty the fur of his ears had gotten from playing or how the kids who picked on him seemed to yank on his tail if he didn't manage to keep it out of their grasp. Now, it was actually the “symbolism” bit that bugged him, as when he started glancing around at others in his class, he could see some that once had them didn't anymore. So what if he was still a virgin? Maybe he just didn't think going and finding a fuck buddy was important when they were at war with a race that could care less whether he had a tail swishing behind him or not. About the only _useful_ purposes these shitty things had were that Armin and Mikasa had found he calmed a lot faster from his nightmares when scratched behind one of the fluffy brown triangles on his head (he refused to admit this in public).

His ear twitched at the sound of footsteps, and he turned to see Mikasa. “...still upset from Jean teasing you about your ears?” she asked softly, her midnight tail swaying behind her.

“Tch...as if.” he grumbled, returning his gaze to the training grounds. “Whoever screwed that horse face must've just wanted to lose their ears before seeing any sort of duty...” he muttered.

She looked at him. “...it was Marco, from what I heard. Not long before they joined. You and I both know the training sometimes kills the recruits...” Mikasa sighed. “...I'm aware it doesn't give him any reason to torment you about this. I'd be willing to--”

“Mikasa, no.” Eren cut in. “I don't need you constantly fighting my battles. Besides, I'd rather concentrate on the training...” The young woman beside him nodded solemnly, deciding to stay for a bit in the comforting silence shared with her brother.

* * *

 

He was getting tired of the teasing. Just because he was set on joining the Scouting Legion didn't mean he wanted to lose his ears just yet. So what if that branch had the highest probability of death? Eren wasn't planning on letting himself join the percentage. He had a vendetta to fulfill – those bastard Titans killed his mother, ruined his life. They were gonna pay. That was a higher priority to him than the furry appendages on his body, and it would stay that way. To be honest, he was getting slightly jealous of his sister. Nobody tormented her about her ears...but then again, it was probably because they all knew she could kick their asses into next year if they did. Maybe he should ask her for some lessons on close combat? Extra practice never hurt...ugh, but when would they ever even _use_ that shit in real fights? Trying to get that close without the maneuver gear would certainly end up with missing limbs (or death), save for the ones who might get the chance to join the Military Police. Still...

“Oi! Ears!” came the obnoxious voice of one Jean Kirstein. Eren's eye twitched, and he barely restrained a growl. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder with a bored expression, only his cat-like ears hinting at his annoyance of having his formerly pleasant (if one could call the rations pleasant) dinner ruined. “Still thinking you can kill all the Titans with extra limbs they can chomp off?” A few snickers rose up from the gathered recruits, while others looked at each other warily, concerned that a fight would break out between the two. Some just stayed uninterested, too used to the pair's hatred of each other to care.

Eren sighed, turning back to his nearly-empty plate. “...least I haven't lost mine to a horse.” he muttered, only Armin and Mikasa hearing him.

The blond choked back a laugh, his tail fuzzing out for a moment before curling beside him. “E-Eren, be nice!” he whispered. Eren's teal eyes rolled, aware that his friend was just concerned for him, but it was hard to “be nice” to the guy who made his life hell.

Jean stormed over, brown eyes filled with anger. “What'd you say?!” he demanded, grabbing Eren's shoulder and turning him around forcefully.

Eren glared up defiantly. “I said you're a fucking horse, and anybody who decided to sleep with you must be into bestiality.”

The mess hall went so quiet, a grain of rice could've dropped and be heard (until Sasha cried, of course, because that was _wasted food_ ). “...you little shit...” the taller teen snarled, pulling the brunette to his feet. “...you're just _asking_ to get beaten up...”

Eren shoved the other away from him, green eyes filled with fire. “Try it. _I dare you_.”

As soon as those three words left his lips, Jean lunged. Eren barely had to try, using the move Annie had against him to flip Jean onto his back – hard. If there was one thing Eren'd always been good at, it was learning from experience, copying moves to eventually make his own. He didn't see the subtle widening of said blond's eyes, impressed that he had done that after she had wiped him out multiple times with it earlier. “...you're no match for me. Maybe that's why you're so desperate to join the Military Police...you're too _weak_ to face an actual Titan, and you _know_ it.” Eren spat, sitting back down and saying no more. Shadis opened the door not long after that, inquiring as to what the noise was in the most deadpan tone they'd heard yet.

“...Sasha farted.” Mikasa stated monotonously, paying no attention as the poor girl's tail fuzzed straight out behind her in sheer mortification that the other would even _suggest_ such a thing. The excuse worked though, for the man made a face as if he'd seen the most horrific of things and shut the door. 

* * *

 

Eren found that sleep would not come that night, the events from dinner replaying in his mind. Why did the others find it so odd that _he_ , of all of them, still had his ears and tail? Connie still did, but it was looking like he and Sasha might get together at some point...maybe that's why they weren't getting teased. He didn't know if Armin was or not...maybe because the other wasn't as outspoken as he was, he might be being spared? Mikasa and Annie...well, the answer to that one was obvious – they could kick just about the whole class' butts if anybody tried. Oh yeah, there _was_ that Christa girl, too...but that tall girl, Ymir, was always hanging around her, and even though she didn't have hers, it seemed like they were close (that, and Ymir could be fucking scary if somebody even looked like a threat to the small blond, so he doubted people tried to torment her).

...yup – that meant he was alone in the teasing. Pretty much all of the recruits didn't have their ears anymore, either having lost them before joining, or hooking up sometime during the training. The few that did have them were either close to getting rid of them, or somehow protected. Neither of which he was. Curling up into himself further, tail wrapping around his waist, he sighed softly, wishing these things would just...disappear on their own. They'd been a nuisance his whole life already, and now they were just making him miserable.

A single tear slid down his cheek as he closed his eyes, that feeling of not belonging sinking back into him once again...


	2. War Forces Us to Conform

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They" say that battle is the equalizer. How can that be, when the differences are too large between sides?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...chapter two. Again, sorry for the huge mix-up last chapter - I'm still attempting to figure out the mechanics of the site. Please feel free to tell me if I screw up, okay?

As of the night before, he was officially part of the military. Even if it was just the place where they put all the trainees for a while, Eren felt good about making it. Hell, he felt _great_ about making it – he was in the top ten of his class, _AND_ placed above that horse-face Kirstein! But he wasn't about to let it get to his head, not when he was out on the wall.

He still remembered what had been dubbed the Colossal Titan.

He still had nightmares of what it could do.

There was no way he'd let his recent accomplishment cloud his focus. But...as his friends chattered over the meat Sasha had just stolen, he couldn't help but let his gaze wander over the district of Trost below, admiring how peaceful it was and feeling proud that he now got the chance to protect that peace.

...a crack of thunder broke the pleasant air surrounding the recruits, and with a blinding flash, there stood the Colossal Titan before them. Exactly the same as that day in Shiganshina. Before any could make a move, it broke the gate, the heat and steam from its body forcing everyone off the wall. Somehow, though (and with Sasha managing to think fast), they all survived. Eren's ears were flat against his skull, tail barely moving – he was nervous, scared.

“Th-The gate's broken!!” one of them shouted in panic. “Th-They'll come through!!

 _It's just like that day..._ Eren thought, trying hard to not let the memories come back – of his mother dying, of Maria falling in the Armored Titan's wake. Rage filled him, and his tail lashed from side to side. “Stationary Canon Maintenance Team 4!!” he shouted, getting the others attention. He gripped his blades tighter and got ready to move. “Prepare for battle!! Our target is right ahead of us – the Colossal Titan! Do not let it escape!” Eren was back on the wall within seconds, landing close to the monstrous titan. “...it's been five years...” he murmured, steeling himself before dashing straight towards it. An arm raised and began to swing his way, forcing him to jump off the wall; he recovered by attaching to the titan itself. _What...? That bastard went for the canons! And it took out the two-way gate...this one...this one's intelligent!_ He dodged as the titan made to grab him from the air, reattaching the hooks to the arm to swing himself up onto it. _But I can work with this...this is my chance! He's the only one who can destroy the walls!_ Eren began running up the titan's arm. _If I can just kill him..._ He swung himself around towards the titan's neck, his mark clear. “I'll destroy you!!”

...hot steam exploded from the back of the titan before his blades could meet the flesh. Eren choked, the heat making it hard to see, let alone the fact that the quickly moving air was threatening to blow him off. He had to get through it! There was still a chance he could get a hit in! With his gear hopefully still attached to the titan's neck, he reeled himself in, lining up for what he could only hope would be a strike. His eyes widened when he hit nothing but air. “H-Huh? It's...gone? How...?” Realizing he was probably about to fall (as he had been standing on the titan earlier), he quickly pulled himself over to the wall. “No...it couldn't have just disappeared...”

“Eren!” came Thomas' voice from the top. “You took it down?!”

“No...it's just like five years ago...! He came from nowhere, then just vanished!” he replied before going back up. His ears and tail drooped as he walked over to the blond. “...I let him escape...I'm sorry.”

Thomas smiled comfortingly. “It's not your fault. We couldn--”

“Hey, cut the chit chat!” Connie snapped, tail bristled. “The wall happens to be damaged, and we need to fix it before titans can get in!”

A member of the Garrison unit came up, telling them to get back to HQ immediately. 

* * *

 

The orders given to the 104th didn't sit well with any of them. Jean watched as his classmates broke down around him. He wasn't too thrilled about the whole thing, either – he was supposed to be going to the interior tomorrow with Marco. Why the _hell_ did the titans have to attack now?! He stormed off, running right into Eren, the smaller brunette looking genuinely surprised at having bumped into the other.

Jean just glared at him. “Outta my way, Ears!” he snarled, shoving Eren aside.

Of course, the neko wouldn't let it rest. “H-Hey wait! What's wrong?”

“What's _wrong_?! Go run to your death if you want, but don't act so smug about it!!” He grabbed Eren by the shirt. “You're probably all set to die, aren't you?! Ever since you made up your mind to join the Scouting Legion?! Well _some_ of us were supposed to go to the interior tomorrow!!”

“Jean, calm down!”

“Calm _down_?! What, be calm when I head for my death?!”

“You're not gonna die!” Eren shouted as he pushed Jean into the pillar behind them, ears flat in anger. “Think back to the training we've done!!” Jean was silent. “Three years, and a lot of us didn't make it. Some gave up, and _many_ were just kicked out. But we...we survived, okay?! And we'll survive today, too!!” He was looking Jean straight in the eyes. “...you'll live today, then go to the interior tomorrow...right?” Eren let the other go, ears righting themselves with a light twitch. Jean stalked off to gather his unit together, leaving Eren with Mikasa nearby.

Said teen came closer to her brother. “...if things get too bad, I want you to find me.”

“Heh?” He turned his attention to her. “But we're in different squads!”

“Even so...if it gets chaotic, going by the book isn't always the best.” She was trying to do this more for her own sake right now – the feeling that something bad was about to happen to her brother had been with her for hours, practically since she awoke. It only got worse now that they were going to battle. When she was told she was in the rear guard, all she could do was pray that she would see Eren again... 

* * *

 

“Armin...are you alright?” Mikasa asked softly, kneeling in front of the despondent blond. She only got a nod in response, but it was enough. “Where's Eren?” she asked, looking around as she stood up, ears twitching as she tried to find any sign of his voice. Armin was silent. “...Armin?” He looked up at her with tears streaming down his face, cornsilk ears hanging low. Mikasa couldn't breathe, fearing she knew what he was about to say.

“We...Cadets...of Squad 34...” he choked out, falling forward so that he no longer had to look up at the young woman he'd failed, “Thomas Wagner...Nack Tius...Millius Zerumski...Mina Carolina...Eren Jaeger...These five carried out their mission...and put up a heroic fight!!” Murmurs of disbelief passed through the gathered few. “...I'm so sorry, Mikasa...he...he gave his life for mine...I couldn't do anything!! I'm sorry!!”

Mikasa knelt down again, placing a hand over one of her friend's. “Armin...there'll be a time for tears later.” He looked up at her in shock. “...c'mon...stand up.” She started walking away. “...Marco, everybody could refill their gas canisters if we got rid of the titans surrounding HQ, correct?”

“Y-Yes, that's right. But even with your help, there's too many of them...”

“We can do this.” she said. _I will avenge you Eren..._

* * *

 

“Shouldn't we help it...? It was on our side, after all...” Armin murmured as they watched the other titans attacking the rogue one for some reason, all of them trying to eat it. As the group discussed its options, said titan roared, gathering the last of its strength and destroying the ones upon it before collapsing in a steaming heap. With wide eyes, they watched as something seemed to emerge from the area of its neck...something human, with brown hair and ears. Mikasa swooped down almost instantly, tears in her eyes at the thought it could be her brother, that it could be Eren. When she brought him back up to the rooftops, Armin choked upon seeing the brunette teen's arm and leg regrown. Tentatively, he clasped his hand with the new one, tears trailing from his blue eyes.

“He...he's alive...” came the soft whisper from the blond neko, unable to believe it. The others of the group couldn't, either, even as Garrison officers came and whisked the trio away...

* * *

 

The entire army was in shambles after the failed excursion to stop the titans. People were trying to dissent, wanting to escape to the evacuation areas and be with their families. Others were threatening suicide. Jean watched as some of his classmates – the ones from the top ten – tried to comfort the scared soldiers, give them strength. Marco sat beside him, a sad smile on his face.

“...they think it's hopeless, huh...?” the freckled teen whispered, just loud enough for the one beside him to hear.

Jean shrugged. “Isn't it? Trost is completely overrun. It'll take a miracle to get it back.” He glanced down when he felt Marco clasp his hand, squeezing it.

“...I'm nervous myself...but they're all looking to me for strength, y'know? Can I just...”

“...yeah...it's fine. Take as long as you need, okay, Marco?”

The pair sat there in silence for a while until they heard cannon fire within the walls. Jean stood up quickly, eyes drawn to where he saw the smoke. “That was fired into the wall...what's going on?! Was it a mishap or something?!”

Sasha and Connie ran over. “Do...Do you think it has to do with Eren?!” the young woman asked, trembling a bit. They all looked at each other, too many questions with no answers floating in the air between them as they stared up to the cannons.

At the same time, though, there was the trio of friends at risk of their lives. Had Eren not somehow managed to partially transform and stop the shell, they would have been killed. The current point in time, Armin and Mikasa were shielded within the quickly deteriorating ribcage of Eren's titan, the former shivering at the thought of what had just occurred mere seconds before. With much difficulty, Eren pulled himself from the titan's form, crawling underneath to be with the other two. “...I have no idea how this is possible, either...just that...just that my father seems to have something to do with it...” he whispered, sorrow and anger on his face. “I didn't even know I _could_.” Eren paused when he felt a tail twine with his in comfort, and looked back to see Mikasa's; he smiled softly, as it was something they'd done since they were little when one of them had nightmares or were just upset over anything. They hadn't in a long time, as they were rarely together anymore.

“...we need to convince them your not a threat.” she said softly. “You've fought for us, both as a human _and_ as a titan. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't killed the one coming for me. We couldn't have retaken the HQ in Trost to fill our gas canisters if you hadn't been there. There _has_ to be a way to convince them your on our side...”

The pair of siblings looked to Armin, and he blanched. “M-Me?! I...I'd just mess it up, and then they'd kill us all!” He shook his head. “B-Besides, when have I ever done anything...”

“Back in Shiganshina. You saved us then.”

The blond looked up at them in shock, seeing the smiles on their faces – they had figured out that he was the one who got Hannes to go after them?! And all this time, he thought they were just his friends because he couldn't do anything, that they needed to protect him...Smiling back through his tears, he nodded. He might not be strong like them in battle...but strength came in other forms, too. He...He could do this. For all of them.

Mikasa glanced around. “...it's almost gone. We'll be exposed soon. Armin...can you be ready?”

“...yes.” he stated with determination, standing up with fire in his eyes that hadn't been there before. 

* * *

 

Jean still had trouble believing it. Eren fucking Jaeger, a titan. It was ironic – the kid who had sworn to destroy every single one of those monsters was one himself. He was, of course, thankful that Eren was at least on their side...but still...there was a slight pang of regret hitting him right now for teasing the other the way he had all those times.

_How are you gonna kill all the titans with all those extra limbs, huh? You're just making it easier for them to eat ya, Eren._

...God, he was such an asshole. Yeah, maybe Eren had deserved it some days – the little shit could be just as bad – but could he not have found something else to torment him with? Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he continued down the ruined streets of Trost, searching for any bodies left from the fight.

He froze when he found one. Half eaten, charred...please, no...let that not be...

“Oh, do you know this one?” the impersonal voice of the military nurse assigned to that quadrant asked. “We were having a hard time identifying him. You seem to recognize him, though – was he a friend of yours?”

Jean gulped. “Y-Yes...M-Marco Bott,104th Trainee Squad.”

The nurse wrote all of this down. “Alright. We can move his corpse out now. No need to let it stay here and potentially become festered with disease.” She turned to Jean when he didn't move. “Recruit! Are you listening?! I said move him, now!”

“Y-Yes, of course...”

That night, Jean couldn't tear his eyes away from the flames of the funeral pyre, burning the bodies of the dead. Marco was amongst them. His best friend and lover was amongst them. He didn't care that the others there saw him when he collapsed to the ground in broken sobs. He didn't give a fuck when they watched him pick up a stray fragment of burned bone from the ground near him, clasping it in his hand.

All he knew was that there was a hole in his chest now that wasn't about to be filled any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...hi, my name is shit, and I just killed Marco once again. I did say - character death and torment. I promise, this story isn't going to be all tragic. It'll get happier...some day. But it is not this day.


	3. Hope and Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are others like him, but how similar can they be? He is a monster in human guise, despite what others may say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not expect two updates within hours of each other again - this was literally written during a lovely time of insomnia, followed by my attempts at inducing sleep by Jaegermeister and Dr. Pepper (don't knock it, it's actually pretty good).
> 
> ...I think it turned out pretty well...

The first thing he noticed was the sound of chains. Blearily opening his eyes, he saw metal cuffs linked around his wrists, connected to the wall behind him. Was he in prison? Why? He...he saved Trost, right? So why was he in trouble for following orders? He panicked slightly, pulling on the chain to his right.

“Hey! Quiet it down in there, you titan freak!” A voice from outside the cell shouted. Eren flinched, recoiling at the insult.

“Why am I in here?! What did I do?!”

The guard's face appeared from the other side of the bars. “I said quiet! Or do you _want_ my rifle to “accidentally” go off?”

Eren tensed, eyes wide. Why was he being threatened in such a way? _What did he do?!_ As soon as the guard had disappeared from view, Eren fell back onto the hard mattress, burying his face into the pillow and letting hot tears stream down his cheeks. He wanted Mikasa and Armin...he wanted the comfort of his family. He thought back to when the three of them were children in Shiganshina, when they would sleep over at either Armin or their houses, the three of them crammed into one bed because that's all they had. Childish giggles as somebody's tail brushed another one's nose, or an elbow jabbed somebody by accident. Mikasa and Armin would laugh because Eren flopped around in his sleep like a fish on land, arms landing on both of them at some point during the night. What he wouldn't give for those days to be back, when they were young and ignorant to the troubles of the world, dreaming of what the land beyond might look like.

...he'd even give up his ears to get those days back, if that's what it took.

Restlessly, he stayed quiet, sobs wracking his frame, even as the guards exchanged shifts outside his musty cell...

* * *

 

Two new faces were outside when he awoke a few days later. He sat up, recognizing the uniform instantly. The Wings of Freedom emblazoned on the jacket...this was the Scouting Legion.

The blond spoke first. “...I'm Commander Erwin Smith. This is Corporal Levi. Rumor is you've caused quite a stir with your...rather unique ability, Eren.” He paused, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin upon them. “...you're probably already aware of this, but the Scouting Legion tries to make advances in what humanity knows of the titans. This is the first any of us have heard of a human turning into one. That's why you're down here. The military is unsure if you're to be seen as a threat to us or not. However, we're willing to accept you're not, provided you can prove it.” Dark blue eyes fixated on the teen. “...what was you're ultimate goal when you joined the military? I'm curious.”

Eren took a moment before looking right at him. “...it was to join the Scouting Legion, sir. I want to kill the titans. Every single one of them.”

Erwin raised a brow in interest, but his attention was shifted to the man beside him when the other made a move at long last, having been a mere spectator this entire time. Eren's heart stopped for a moment when Levi became more visible – _he still had his ears, too._

“...this one's got some fire left in him.” the black-haired man stated softly, a gloved hand clasping one of the bars. “I'll be personally responsible for him, Erwin. We'll need to come up with some sort of strategy, though – those bastards in the Military Police probably want him, too.”

The commander looked shocked for a moment, but recovered quickly, nodding. “Right. Eren,” he said, returning his attention to the teen. “...hold in there for a few more days. We'll get you out of there.”

As promised, it was two days later when he was set to have his hearing, only it wasn't Levi or Erwin who came to get him. He shrieked when somebody practically slammed there face through the bars. “Aaah~!! So you're Eren, huh?!” they asked excitedly. He honestly couldn't tell if this person was a woman or a man, as the voice gave little away...he'd heard some very high-pitched men before when they got excited over something like this person was. “I'm Hanji Zoe, I'm here to get you for your trial!!”

“Squad Leader, you're scaring him. I can smell his fear.” a second voice said from outside.

“He's so cute though!! Lookit those fluffy brown ears!! They're just like mine, Mike!!” The other stepped in after the bars were open, undoing the chains holding him to the wall only to bring his wrists behind his back and chain them together there.

“Sorry, kid. Protocol for this.”

Eren drooped visibly. “...yeah...I understand.”

Hanji ruffled his hair a bit, smoothing it back down after. “Aw, don't worry, Eren! If Erwin plays his cards right, you'll be over with us at HQ in no time!”

The teen was about to reply when suddenly Mike leaned down and sniffed at his neck. “U-Uh...umm...wha...?”

“Oh, don't worry about him! He does that to everyone. Helps him keep track of where everyone in the legion is. It's really helpful when we're on expeditions!” They stopped outside a large set of doors. “Okay, we're here! Behave while you're in there, Eren. That'll give you a better chance of coming to us!”

“Huh? What?” He didn't get any response other than being shoved through.

* * *

 

Hanji had been flipping out as soon as they (Eren had been told that the elder preferred “they” or “them”) realized his tooth had grown back almost instantly after the trial, rushing to their lab to run tests. Mike and Erwin, too, had to leave, having to finalize the details of Eren's release into the legion's care. Levi stayed behind, tail flicking agitatedly in the silence.

“...you're nervous around me.” the elder finally said.”

Eren jumped, having not expected the other to speak. “H-Huh? N-Not at all, Sir!” He bit his lip when he received a sharp glare. “...m-maybe a little...s-sorry...I just...getting beaten to have my life saved isn't...isn't something I'm used to.”

“...got into fights as a kid, I'm guessing.”

Eren nodded, looking away in embarrassment.

Levi shrugged. “It happens. It said in your file you're from Shiganshina. That area wasn't one of the ones the government seemed to care about anyway, if you want my opinion. No wonder kids could get away with anything...” Silver eyes turned back to the wall. “...did the guards still drink themselves into a stupor any chance they got before Maria fell?”

The brunette whipped his head around. “H-How did you...?!”

“Again, our government didn't really care about the areas more or less protruding from the walls like your own. The Garrison and Police also started getting lazy after a hundred years of peace. What's a little bit of relaxation of the job with no threat of titan attacks was their theory. Only the legion gives a shit about how humanity is going to survive – we can't stay here forever. Forgive my bluntness, but people fuck and have kids. It would only be a matter of time before the walls wouldn't have been able to hold the population.” Levi's ears twitched in annoyance. “...and I don't think I need to remind you of why those Sina bastards decided to murder over twenty-percent of the people...all of them refugees from Maria.”

Eren glared down at his fists as they clenched in rage. Armin had lost his grandfather to that useless order, the one blood-relative he had left in the world. That was what had _really_ cinched their decision to enlist. So they could do something about this cruel place they lived in, no matter how peaceful it seemed on the outside. Yes, Rose might be, but it was still oppressed. Sina never gave to the people who needed it, only took then looked down on the poor. A gloved hand rested lightly on his shoulder, drawing his attention back to the corporal. “...you see why a lot of us join, then?” Levi asked softly. Eren nodded. “Good.” Levi stood up, offering his hand to help Eren. “Come on. We need to leave soon – it's a few hours to Scouting HQ, and tomorrow we're heading out to where we're keeping you. The public doesn't need to be aware of your existence – rumors are rumors until they're proven.”

The brunette looked confused for a moment before it hit him. “...not everybody's looking at this with hope...”

“You're more perceptive than I thought. You're right – the people in Sina are worried that the people in Rose are going to rally behind you and take them over. Rose is just happy something is able to fight the titans better than just the military for once – they're in immediate danger should another breach occur. And if another evacuation to the innermost wall needed to happen...”

Teal eyes widened. “...it wouldn't just be twenty-percent...”

“Fifty at the least. That'd be the best we could hope for.” A sigh before the elder walked towards the door. “Well? Coming or not?” 

* * *

 

True to what Levi had said, they headed out first thing in the morning, his squad of four accompanying them to an undisclosed location. Petra was the nicest to him, her golden ears twitching occasionally as she listened for any sign of trouble. Eld and Gunther were quiet, but friendly. Eren could tell that they didn't quite trust him yet. Oluo, however, was another story entirely, attempting to intimidate him (and failing because talking too much led to him biting his tongue multiple times...they were on horseback, after all).

“Really, Oluo...you should know by now not to chatter so much!” Petra groaned as she stabled her horse. “And trying to imitate the corporal won't make you any more threatening in battle _or_ in life. I think very few could possibly get our leader to back down, and you know it, too.”

Eld chuckled from nearby. “Won't stop him from trying.”

With a sigh, Petra nodded. “Unfortunately.” She turned to Eren, who had been a rather clueless spectator to the conversation. “Well...welcome to your new home, Eren! I know it's not much, but...”

“No, it's fine! I'm just happy to be with the Scouting Legion, really.”

“Hah!” came a laugh from Gunther. “You say that now – wait til Levi's back from inspecting the castle! It's probably filthy from all the years its been left out of use. He's probably forming a plan as we speak as to how to clean it ceiling to floor with only us available.”

Eren blinked, and was about to ask what he meant exactly, but didn't get a chance as Levi burst into the stables, calling for them all to get their asses over to the castle ten minutes ago, it was disgusting.

This was how Eren found himself with a bandana holding his hair and ears back, sneezing every so often because of the dust. It was becoming a pain to adjust the cloth on his head, though, because every time he sneezed, his ears jolted, knocking it loose. He was so tempted to just yank the damn thing off...

“Allergies?” Petra asked from behind, startling him. He let out a very undignified squeak and fell over, landing on his tail. Wincing in pain, he nodded, shifting so that he could get the sore appendage out from under his body. “Now you see why Levi insists on everything being so clean all the time! Dust on its own is bad enough, but when somebody comes in with an allergy to it...”

“There's a lot of it...” Eren added. “How long has this place been neglected?”

“Hmm...quite a few years now.” the woman replied, tail swishing thoughtfully. “To be honest, this used to be the main headquarters. I guess it was too out of the way or something, which is why they moved closer to town? I joined after the move, so I don't know the exact story behind it.” She looked at him sadly. “Though, I'll be honest, the real reason we've had to come back here is because of you...the Military Police still don't trust you, and would only fully sign you over under the directions that we keep you in some form of restraint...” Petra sighed, shaking her head. “More or less, they _demanded_ we keep you in a dungeon. Something about you'd be easier to control if you should turn. This place has a couple that we'll work on turning into a proper room of sorts – you're a member of the Scouting Legion, and even if it's under special circumstances, you shouldn't be treated like some kind of monster.”

Eren looked down at the floor. “...what other things did they want?”

Petra seemed surprised that he would ask. “W-Well...you're to be under supervision at all hours until we can safely say you aren't a threat. The corporal said he would do most of it, as you were placed into his care. As for anything else, that's probably more in Squad Leader Hanji's domain – I'm not sure what they've been told.” Pausing, she got a thoughtful look in her eyes. “...given that they're the chief of research in the legion, it wouldn't be too far off that they've been given specific things the MP want to know about you, and probably a whole list of tests to run.”

Brown ears sinking beneath the cloth on his head, Eren closed his eyes. “I...I understand.” He stood up. “...this is the last room I need to do before we stop for the day. So...may I get back to work?”

The woman blinked, but could tell – he needed time to accept what was going to be of his life now. “Of course, Eren. I'll be just down the hall if you need anything.”

* * *

 

“...Corporal?” Eren called hesitantly, curled on his bed in the cell. Levi was resting against the wall, eyes fixated on the teen.

“...what?”

Green orbs glanced up at the elder neko. “...I...I was wondering...” He bit his lip, fearing he might get hit for asking. “N-Never mind! Good night, Corporal!” He flipped over to face the wall. Levi looked confused for just a moment before it dawned on what the teen was about to ask.

“...shitty brat...that's something...you don't need to know just yet.” he murmured under his breath, looking down at the tail that swung despondently behind him. It was one of the reasons he vowed to get the young brunette out of the Military Police's grasp. Those bastards were more corrupt than half of the people in the Sina Underground, and the people there were considered the worst of the worst. Levi, himself, was once one of those “outcasts” of society, stealing and killing to survive. Gods, the killing was the worst – his hands were probably stained with more human blood than titan. How many times had he stabbed a person through the chest because they got to close, had sliced through the tender flesh of their necks because they thought he was weak for still having his ears? Bile rose in his throat as the memories of how many times he'd nearly lost them to some drunkard in the back of a dirty alley – all because he'd made the mistake of thinking he was safe, hidden behind some crates, or that huge pile of garbage – only to need to spill more crimson in order to escape.

It was why he kept as much of himself covered at all times. When he could, he would keep his cloak on, the hood pulled over his ears, tail hidden beneath. Though he owed his life to Erwin now, he wouldn't even let the man touch him, couldn't even bring himself to hold the blond's hand without his gloves on. He was too afraid. Humanity's Strongest, scared of just being intimate with somebody he cared for. It pained him so much, but he just...

Shaking his head, he pushed the dark thoughts from his mind, focusing again on the young teen. Eren was safe here. Those military dogs wouldn't – _couldn't_ – touch him here, not under Levi's watch. He'd make sure the brunette wouldn't get hurt as he very nearly did.

...nobody deserved that, especially this one...this boy before him probably felt more alone now than he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to tell me if it sucked. Again - insomnia + Jaeger/soda somehow equaled inspiration. My brain is weird.


	4. Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So few ever found their other half, how were they to expect this to happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally introducing more of the Loveless elements! And some of the characters (coughLevicough) might get a little OOC every so often, but it's not too bad, I hope...

“How is he settling in, Levi?” Erwin asked, having dropped by to check on the progress they were making.

“Well enough to be expected, given that he's having to sleep in a dungeon.” Silver eyes were fixed out the window, watching as said teen trained with the other four of his squad. “...Hanji disclosed the next set of experiments with you, I'm guessing?”

The blond let out a sigh, bringing a hand up to rub at his forehead. “...what they hope to accomplish by more or less putting him through torture...” Erwin shook his head. “They're “concerned” he could somehow use his regenerative factor to heal himself while we're down, then strike. They're grasping at straws, if you want my opinion. But we have no choice. If we want to keep him here, we have to make compromises.”

“Compromises my ass, they're just wanting us to get our hands dirty for them, now.” Levi snarled, stalking away from the window. “If they try and get Hanji to dissect him, heads will roll.”

“...I've never seen you so protective.” the blond murmured, surprised by the change in the smaller man. “...Levi...talk to me. What is it?”

He only glanced over his shoulder before heading further down the hall, towards the office he currently called his own. “...are you coming or not? I thought you wanted to talk.” As soon as the door was shut and they were seated, Levi's facade began to crumble. “...Erwin...something is pulling me towards him...I think that brat might be my other half.” Black ears drooped down slightly, and he looked away. “...I never thought...I didn't think it would be _him_ , Erwin! I didn't think it'd be some kid who could turn into a titan, who we'd find locked in the jails beneath the courthouse! Hell, I didn't even think I'd _find_ my fighter!”

Erwin looked surprised. “You're a sacrifice?”

Levi glared. “You're honestly surprised? I can tell you are just from the fact nobody questions your orders when you give them. How the fuck haven't you noticed I am?”

The blond held his hands up in defeat. “Here I thought I'd been hiding it well all this time.”

The light joking between them had eased Levi's agitation, but it was still there. Granted, people rarely (if ever) followed their names anymore, spell battles having become useless in the wake of the titans. Levi only knew the basics due to being a denizen of the underground, and most of that was thanks to Isabel and Farlan. They were quite the pair, and when he first began to stay with them, he learned a lot. Isabel told him quite often that he'd find the one meant for him someday...he just never thought it'd be like this. Levi was pulled from his thoughts when Erwin lifted his gloved hand, placing a light kiss upon it. “...it makes sense, now, why things further than this seemed too...awkward, I suppose? Just know that I'll still be here for you, Levi.”

“...thank you...Erwin.”

* * *

 

Levi decided to wait a while before discussing the matter with Eren, mostly to see if his theory was correct, that the younger was what he suspected.

However, it was hard to tell, given that most young recruits tried to take on as many duties as possible in order to impress their superiors. Eren was no exception, and perhaps more so given the uniqueness of his arrival. He responded well to orders, yes, but that was typical of most fighters, and was an expectation of all soldiers...the brat did look upset whenever he didn't seem to meet expectations, though...so maybe? Levi sighed. All of these observations, and still, no real answers. The only thing left to him was...well... _touching_ Eren, and not with his gloves on. If their names appeared, then it was settled, despite the elder's reservations about the whole thing. He honestly just wanted to run and hide, forget that the green-eyed teen existed. But...he had an obligation to the military, and a job to fulfill. Just because he was...well, _scared_...of what could be didn't mean he could abandon Eren. Looking down at his hands, he stared hard at the white material of his gloves. It all came down to this...

The day came sooner than he liked – a test Hanji wanted to run, mostly to stall the one they had to, had failed for the most part. Yet the teen had accidentally transformed later, much to the shock of everyone. Levi's squad surrounded him in an instant, blades drawn and yelling at him, asking if he was truly a threat, demanding to know why he did that. Eren was frightened, to say the least, no answers available. For once, Levi was glad he was a sacrifice – his natural proclivity towards giving orders came in handy, as the four under his command quickly listened. Hanji, though, was a different story, as they came bounding over. “Eren~~!!!!! I can't believe you finally did it!!!!! Even if it is just your arm, this is great!!!! Can I touch?!?! Pleeeeease?!?!” They didn't wait for an answer, tail swishing quickly in their excitement as their hand landed on the fleshless appendage. It stuck straight out as soon as they were nearly burned from the extreme heat of the arm, fluffing in shock when Hanji yanked their hand away. “S-So hot!!!!”

“S-Squad Leader, you need to be more careful!” a worried voice came from behind (Moblit? Mobile? Levi never kept track of Hanji's assistants...so many of them left due to their exuberance, scared away). He ignored the high-pitched whines when the arm started disintegrating, Eren finally having managed to yank his own out of it, but he looked over in concern when the teen let out a pained yelp from landing roughly on his tail. Sighing, he helped the brunette up, escorting the younger back into the castle to check him over for injuries, leaving orders for his squad to help Hanji out.

Eren look positively dejected. “I...I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to do that.” he whispered, tail hanging low, ears leaning forward. “...I don't even know why it happened.”

Shaking his head, Levi steered the teen into a room, pushing him lightly down onto a chair. “I know that. The others were just doing their job. We're supposed to take you down should you ever become a threat.”

Nodding, the brunette stayed silent, watching as the corporal looked over his arm for damage. He was all too aware of what the people here were to do...but when he couldn't even control his own abilities, it became a frightening thing. They could kill him just because of something like what happened mere minutes ago. “...aside from these marks where your arm was connected to the titan's, you appear to be fine.” came the elder's voice, apathetic as always. “Interesting that they're there...Hanji'll have a field day when they find out about these.” He stood, heading for the door, but pausing once there. “...Eren...don't think I don't care just because of my job. I may have those orders to kill you should you lose control...but you're still part of my squad.” He walked out of the room after that, leaving a stunned teen behind him.

* * *

 

Hanji's observations from earlier cleared up most of the confusion over why Eren's arm had suddenly transformed. He was still a little miffed over the fact it was a _spoon_ that had triggered it, but the scientist assured him that if it hadn't been for the object, they might not have figure out that vital piece of information.

“Your physical trigger is pain, right? But it's half psychological, too – you apparently have to have a clear goal in mind. So all those wounds on your hand provided the physical, and when you bent down to grab this...well, I don't think I need to elaborate too much further.” they said. “So it really wasn't your fault. We didn't know it was more than just inflicting damage at that point.” At that point, all four of the squad bit into their hands, making comments about how Eren really had to be stronger than them at points to deal with that every time he was asked to. The teen was slightly touched that they'd even do such a thing, and realized they, too, cared about him in their own way.

Later that night, down in his room, he stared at his hand, the same that had been injured earlier that day. It always seemed so...odd, the sight of flawless skin where bite scars should be. How many other wounds healed instead of staying? How many things would the people around him suffer from, but he would never know? He hadn't really payed attention recently, but had the marks from his gear harness healed, too? Repeated usage of the 3DMG caused the straps to leave scars on the skin...did he have those or not? He couldn't check right now – Levi was nearby, watching him as per usual. Given that the straps crossed his torso and legs...well, he'd feel too awkward trying to look. Curling into a ball beneath his sheets, he let out a tiny sigh, feeling abnormal once again. “...are you okay, Eren?” the corporal asked suddenly, causing the younger to let out a soft squeak of surprise. Bright green eyes peered over his shoulder, and he blinked owlishly.

“...j-just thinking, 's all...” He watched as the other walked over to sit on the edge of his bed, silver eyes betraying nothing. “...I'm fine...”

“Obviously not, if you're shaking like a leaf.”

Eren swallowed, his mouth suddenly too dry – was he really so easy to read? “...do...do I really belong here?” he questioned, voice so soft the elder almost didn't hear it.

The question threw Levi off guard. Send a titan or an injured comrade his way, that was easy for him to handle. Somebody needing reassurance? He...he didn't know if he could. Anything he said might make this worse, and he wasn't the best with words to begin with. But those eyes...they screamed at him to say something, or even do something, let the young soldier know he was wanted. He looked down at his hands, at the pristine white gloves that hid the pale skin beneath. Sighing, he let his mask fall the tiniest bit. “...Eren...how much do you know about the past?”

Jade orbs blinked, confused about the man's question. “...n-not much...the world outside the walls fascinated me as a child...I've always wanted to see it.”

Levi hummed softly. “...do you know anything about the names?”

Brown ears perked. “A...A little. My friend Armin found an old book on them once. A lot of the words were faded out, but it said that pairs were formed from birth.” His brow furrowed a bit. “...umm...fighters and sacrifices, right? But...what does...?”

“A lot of people don't follow that pairing system now. Spell battles – the whole reason behind why pairs were formed – are hardly used. Easy to understand...titans don't exactly speak, so spells wouldn't be the most useful of weaponry.” Levi looked over at Eren again. “...I'm sure Petra told you about how I supposedly came from the Sina Underground, right? It's...It's true. And spell battles are still prevalent there. If you can find a good partner, or even your true partner, you have a better chance of surviving.” He saw Eren's eyes widen, whether in surprise or understanding, he didn't know or care. “...take a guess as to how I still have these.” He made a gesture towards his ears.

Eren took a breath in when it hit him. “...you...you never bonded...”

“I wanted to find my name. Call it old-fashioned, call it stubbornness, but I...I didn't want some random person.” His eyes closed, as if blocking out some sort of memory. “...I learned to fight out of necessity, Eren. That's “Humanity's Strongest.” Some kid from the streets who also couldn't find where he fit in. People kept trying to force me to pair with them, some attempting the worst of measures. I'm only here because I've spilled so much blood to do so. You want the real strongest, look at somebody else.” _Look at Erwin_ , he thought. _Still carrying on despite losing his fighter..._ Levi tensed when he felt the other move, eyes snapping open to see that Eren had sat up, and his hand was raised the slightest bit.

The brunette had paused, though. He wanted to reach out and comfort the raven-haired man, but didn't know if he would be allowed to. He brought his hand back down, resting it in his lap. “...you...you're still strong to me.” Eren said quietly. “...I mean...you're here now, right? That means...that means you survived.” He looked away. “...that's what really counts. Still being here, being alive...it means you've proved the people who thought otherwise wrong.”

Levi stared at him, not having expected such words from the teen. Maybe...maybe he'd underestimated him, after all. Biting his lip, he made a decision. Removing one of his gloves, he hesitantly brought his hand to touch the one that had reached for him a moment ago.

Both felt a searing pain in their chests as soon as the contact was made, eyes squeezing shut to try and block it out. It felt like hours had passed before they could move again, but could only have been minutes. “What...what just happened?” Eren choked out, panting as he tried to catch his breath. He went still when Levi unbuttoned some of his shirt, silver eyes wide as his uncovered hand traced over his own heart.

_Devoted_

The word was etched like a brand into the pale skin on his chest. The elder turned his gaze to the other, and Eren quickly raised his own up enough to see if the same was there. Levi's trembling hand touching his chest was all the confirmation he needed. “I...I don't believe it...” the black-eared man whispered, facade ripped away with one single action. “You...you really are...I didn't expect...” Eren had never seen the other at such a loss for words. It scared him. “...you're my fighter...” Levi finally whispered, gaze fixated upon the mark on the tanned chest. Eren watched as everything about the man crumbled. “...this...this changes everything...”

Some part of the brunette urged him to gather the elder into his arms, to console him. Levi made no move to pull away. “It'll be okay.” he murmured into black hair, nuzzling an ear.

“No it won't...don't you see? I...I can't kill you now. The one thing expected of me, and now I...”

“I wouldn't blame you if you did...” Eren whispered. “...if there wasn't any other choice...I couldn't ever blame you.” Levi was silent, but the younger knew he'd heard him. “...is there anything I can do?”

He shook his head. “...just hold me like this for now. I'll have to be your grumpy corporal again when morning comes...let me have this moment for now.” He let out a short laugh. “Besides, Hanji wants you for more tests. I won't see you for most of the day. That shitty four-eyes better not hurt you, or I'll feed them to the titans.”

Eren chuckled. “Careful, sir – they might find their bond from one of them.”

The face Levi made was worth the yank on the brunette's tail for that comment.

* * *

 

Erwin had come back to discuss the upcoming recruitment ceremony with the squad leaders, but seeing Levi without his gloves on had peaked his interest. “...so your theory was correct?” he asked once they were in private.

Black tail swaying, Levi nodded. “...sorry, Erwin, but looks like no more hand-kisses or flirtatious comments from you without permission.” He grinned. “Though, given his case of hero-worship for both of us, he might not be too adverse to having a stray sacrifice join every so often.”

“I'll...keep that in mind.” the blond said, not quite sure if the other was joking or not. He was about to say something, but Levi's eyes turned dangerous, ears standing straight up. “Levi? Is everything alright?”

“...Eren.” was all the other said before running from the room. Erwin trailed after, knowing that Hanji had been performing experiments today, and if Levi was picking up on some kind of distress, it couldn't be good...especially when the pair had just bonded. When the two reached the lab, Levi saw red: a couple of Military Police had seen the mark on Eren's body, and one was restraining Hanji as the other tried to interrogate him on who he was paired with. The brunette was cornered, eyes wide, gashes from the man's blade bleeding from his arms and stomach.

The man standing in front of Eren snarled. “I'll ask one more time before I just decide to gouge that mark from your chest, boy – who is it?!”

Levi was about to run in and murder the man threatening his fighter, but Erwin placed a hand on his shoulder. “...is that really necessary?” the blond asked, drawing the attention of the two. “For all you know, his partner died in Trost. After all, just because he still has his ears doesn't mean he didn't bond at the academy.” Blue eyes hardened. “How many in the military have suffered the same loss?”

Both looked from the commander to the frightened teen. “...might be why he doesn't wanna tell us. Too traumatic a memory, especially if the poor fool died cause of him.” Sheathing the blade, the one who'd done the damage jerked his head, silently telling his partner to let Hanji go. “...we were only here to see how those tests were going, anyway. They're on schedule. No need to stick around.”

Levi made sure the pair had made it down the hall before running in to check on Eren, who was still trembling. He didn't give a shit if the other two saw him like this right now, the younger needed him. “Eren...Eren, look at me. You're safe now.”

Jade eyes slowly began to focus on the elder man, and he let out a hiccuping sob. “L-Levi...they...they _know_...”

“Shh...no they don't...they don't know who it is.” he soothed, carding his fingers through chestnut hair. “Come on, let's get you cleaned up...blood doesn't look good on you.” Hanji had, by this point, grabbed some damp cloths and bandages. They helped Levi get Eren over to a chair, and the pair worked to get the younger fixed up.

“...his healing doesn't always work when he hasn't shifted in some way, unfortunately.” the scientist sighed, tying off the gauze on Eren's arm. “There might be some way for him to tap into that without having to, but...right now, we don't have enough information to find out. For now, it's regular old bandages and salve until they've closed up.” They looked over at Levi. “...those guys didn't damage the name. That's what's important. Levi...I know that's what you've been looking for. You're name.” Hanji placed a hand on their friend's shoulder, and on Eren's. “...keep each other safe, okay? That's all I want from the two of you.” Standing up, they left, leading Erwin out as well. The pair looked like they needed some time alone after what had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm a horrible person, and I swear, things will get happier eventually.


	5. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were broken. That was a truth they wouldn't deny. Maybe now was their chance of being repaired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh...I know it's been longer than I usually post chapters, and I'm sorry about that. I've been pretty sick, and haven't felt like doing much except sleeping. Writing was kinda the bottom of my list of things to do, so I just worked on this chapter when I was forcing food down. Feeling better now, so here's the new chapter.

One more day until he would be heading back to (hopefully) gain some recruits for the Scouting Legion, and Erwin already had the worst headache imaginable. He was reluctant to bring Levi and Hanji along after their recent encounter with the Military Police, despite the fact they would need to represent as squad leaders. Eren, though having made progress, had backpedaled some after that day, as well.

There was also that Levi and Eren were now paired...separating them could lead to unpredictable outcomes on the teen's part, him being the fighter of the two.

He looked up from his paperwork, staring out the window of his temporary office within the castle. It was dusk, and the sky was quite beautiful. A brief flash of sorrow crossed his eyes. _...he would have loved this sight..._ the blond thought somberly, absently tracing the name etched onto his wrist. He'd had it since he was a boy in Sina, a childhood friend of his turning out to be his partner. They'd entered the military together, lost their ears to each other behind the barracks.

...somebody thought Erwin was worth killing for, though. They said the gear was tampered with, that that was what had caused his fall. Erwin still remembered seeing his friend's battered body on the forest floor, one of his own blades having stabbed through him.

He tried to move on, but...having found that one person, replacing them is near impossible. Perhaps that's why he let Nile have Marie? He was never sure some days.

A knock at the door sounded. “...enter.”

Brown ears preceded the timid looking shifter as he slid into the office. “C-Commander...may I speak with you? It...It's about Levi...”

Erwin leaned back in his chair. “Is something wrong?”

“N-No! Nothing like that...just...” Eren moved awkwardly, keeping his gaze anywhere but the man in front of him. “...you two were together before I got here...”

...ah. So the kid really was as perceptive as Levi said. “...in a way, yes.” No need to beat around the bush; it would only anger the teen. “More out of a need for comfort than anything else. Obviously, it never went further than platonic touches.”

Eren nodded curtly. “...can I ask about why he would come to you?”

“In some ways, we understood each other. I lost my partner years ago; he never thought he would find his. It...probably doesn't help my case that he still feels he owes me for digging him out of his life in the underground.” A dry laugh left his throat. “...Eren. You don't have to worry – I'm not a threat to either of you.”

Silence fell between them. Hesitantly, Eren walked over towards the elder man. “...I know that.” he started. “...if he still wants to come to you, I'm not gonna stop him. Just...Just remember he's technically mine now, okay?” The last part came out as a flustered mumble, but Erwin still caught it.

Shaking his head, Erwin reached over and scratched lightly behind one of the fluffy triangles. “...something tells me he'd either say the same or suggest a three-way.”

The embarrassed splutter that left the teen drew a laugh from the elder.

* * *

 

“Erwin, you're a piece of shit, you know that?” Levi seethed. “Suggesting something like that to Eren...”

“If memory recalls, you said something similar a few days prior.”

The shorter fumed, ears falling flat. “...I hate you.”

“Now, now, don't say that. Wouldn't be good for any recruits nearby to think that there might be dissent amongst the ranks.”

Levi settled for glaring daggers at the taller man. “...so...how many of these kids are you gonna scare away this time?”

“Hopefully not too many.” Erwin sighed, looking out at the gathered crowd from where they stood beside the stage. “...but I'll be giving it to them straight – our next expedition is soon, and we're heading straight into enemy territory. We can only hope enough of these recruits have the courage to join us.” He glanced at the smaller man beside him, concerned. “...will Eren have recovered before then? He's still not fully over the shock from what those two did to him, I can tell. If he needs it, I can order a day off or two from trai--”

Silver eyes narrowed. “That's the worst thing you could do, Erwin.” He took a breath, calming himself. “...he's using that as a way to keep himself from focusing on what happened. He's already too painfully aware that he isn't normal...taking away the one thing that makes him feel like he's a regular soldier like the rest of us would set him back more than what those bastards did.” Black ears twitched in the sudden breeze, and Levi brought his hand up to his chest, placing it over his mark. “...did you...did you feel so...odd...after you found your fighter?”

“You're aware that sacrifices can call their fighters to their sides, right?” Erwin chuckled when Levi grimaced. “Most likely, you're doing it subconsciously. The two of you just paired. I had a feeling this could happen, but as long as he doesn't actually respond, we should be fine.” He placed a large hand on his friend's shoulder. “...you'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry.”

“Who said I was worried about the brat?” Levi muttered, even as everything about his expression said otherwise.

* * *

 

Twenty people...well, aside from Eren, which would make twenty-one. That was all they got from the 104th graduating class. Better than nothing, Levi supposed, but with the upcoming mission, he couldn't help but wish they could've gotten a few more. He breathed a sigh of relief as the castle came into view, ignoring Hanji's excited chatter. He felt gross after the long horse ride, and just wanted a bath. And he really did need to check in on Eren, too. According to the brunette beside him (when he bothered to listen during their trip), their assistant went ahead with some of the simpler tests, mostly just some blood samples from Eren that were to be compared to some samples from regular human donors. The scientist had made the comment that they wanted to run the same test against a titan's blood sample, but their blood evaporated too quickly to really do so.

“Squad Leaders!! Welcome back!!” Petra called out, waving happily from where she was sweeping the stables. Eld was nearby, moving hay to the feeders, and nodded in greeting before returning to his work. “So, how did it go? Did we get any recruits?” she asked once the group had arrived and was dismounting.

“Some.” Nanaba replied. “Not many, maybe ten percent of the class.”

Hanji stretched out, sore from the long ride. “Hmmm...better than nobody, though! Oh, have you seen Moblit? I'd like to ask him about those tests I had him run while I was gone.”

“He's probably still in the lab...which reminds me – Corporal Levi? If I could speak to you in private?” Petra asked, walking away from the group. The shorter male followed, concerned. “...it's...well, it's Eren. I'm aware that the two of you paired.” Levi tensed, not having expected her to have found out, of all people. “Oh, don't worry, I'm not upset. But...well, it led to an interesting development while you were gone.” She started giggling, then motioned for him to follow. “...I think you'll find it rather adorable, sir.” Petra led the other to his own quarters, something that confused him greatly until he stepped inside. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the lump under his sheets, the only visible things being the very tips of the brown ears poking up from the top. “He kept getting restless while you were gone, especially after the tests Moblit ran yesterday. I hope you're not mad at us for letting him stay up here...it seemed to be helping him sleep, and he was able to keep going with his training and chores. Eren's already so attached to you, Corporal...” He heard her giggle. “You two...you two are perfect for each other.” She started to leave, needing to finish her own chores. “...as for why he's still asleep, yesterday was a bit rough on him. Moblit had to take extra samples, from what Eren told me. He's probably still sleepy from giving so much. Knowing him, though, he'll be back to normal tomorrow.”

Levi muttered an acknowledgment as the woman left, fixated on the other. It...was rather cute, how the teen was burrowed so deeply within the covers. Granted, all those wrinkles would be a pain to smooth out later...he sighed, shaking his head. It was worth it. They didn't know if sleep deprivation could trigger his titan, and if being in his room instead of the dungeon kept him calm enough to rest, he'd forgive his squad for letting him. He'd also have to have a word with Hanji and their assistant – couldn't the experiments have waited a day for the poor teen to recover between so he wouldn't be in this state? Yes, they might have been on a schedule, but even Eren needed time to mend. They couldn't rely on the kid's regenerative abilities to just up and heal him every single time. Letting a tiny smile grace his lips, he walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge, careful to not place himself on the brunette's tail, as he couldn't be sure if it was curled around him or not.

The movement roused Eren from his sleep, and his emerald eyes blinked open. “...Levi?” he asked softly, voice soft as he yawned.

“It's me...no, don't get up.” the raven-haired man ordered, lightly pushing the teen back down when he attempted to sit. “Petra informed me as to what happened in my absence...you've had it rough. Moblit should've known better than to have taken so much in succession.”

Eren gave a sleepy smile. “I'd do it again...I'm helping to find a way to get rid of the titans.”

Levi rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Killing yourself won't exactly be of much use, though.”

“I don't intend to die.”

“We don't really get a choice when we do.”

“I'm not gonna when I've gotta protect you.”

...well, damn, if he didn't feel a bit touched at that. Little brat somehow knew just what to say to get under his skin. Huffing out a laugh, he reached down to card his fingers through chestnut locks, smirking when Eren pushed an ear into the palm of his hand. How could this one kid make him so affectionate in so short a time? Ah, well...as long as it was only in the privacy of one of their rooms...he had a reputation to keep up as the ever-stoic superior officer, after all. “I don't need to be treated like some helpless damsel, you know...” Levi murmured, gaze softening the slightest bit.

Eren pouted. “Isn't that my duty as a fighter, though? To make sure you don't get hurt?”

A sigh. “Yes, but it's my job as your corporal and guardian to make sure you don't, either.”

“Well then, we're even.” Another yawn passed the teen's lips. “...we'll keep each other safe...m'kay?”

Levi didn't bother to argue. Eren'd just put up some sort of fight against whatever he could come up with anyway. He was going to steal back half of his bed, though. After cleaning up. He refused to even think about getting under white sheets when he felt nasty from the trip back. Standing up, he chuckled at the confused noise the younger let out. “Calm down, I'm just going for a shower...though, you'd better not be sprawled out on the whole bed like you are now, you brat. I'm going to spoil you just this once and let you stay here for a bit, even though you've been here _without_ my permission and I really _should_ just kick you out for breaking in here.” Levi couldn't help laughing at the little “Eep!” he got from Eren, and he heard the teen shuffle over quickly as he went into the adjoining bathroom. When he came back into the bedroom, he smiled upon seeing that Eren was trying his hardest to stay awake, blinking himself back to consciousness every time he dozed off. Shaking his head, he slid under the covers, drawing the younger into his arms, the smile not leaving his face when he felt Eren's tail twine around his own. “...how'd you manage to get under my skin so quickly?” he asked softly, resting his chin on top of the teen's head.

“Not sure...but it's nice to know I get to see this side of you...” Eren sighed, snuggling closer. A thought popped into his head before he returned to slumber, though. “...was the commander being serious when he said you'd suggest a three-way relationship?”

The black-haired man growled. “...I'm going to kill that man.”

* * *

 

He was watching from the window when Eren ran over to greet his friends upon their arrival, looking so very excited for the first time in a while. At the very least, since the time when they'd first began trying to delve a little bit deeper into their bond (the newness of it and their own reservations about the differences between their ages and statuses got in the way quite often, not to mention how busy they'd all been recently with training and Hanji's tests). Levi found himself enjoying seeing that smile on the younger man's face. It was becoming so much harder to consider Eren a kid – the teen had seen so much hardship in his life, more than anybody should. The destruction of his home, the death of his mother (he only recently learned Eren had witnessed that first-hand), and now his place in the world as a titan shifter. Levi had thought life in the Underground was difficult...he was beginning to reconsider. At least he'd learned before Eren ever did that life wasn't sunshine and roses. The other had had his childhood ripped right out from under his feet, the innocence he'd already developed stolen away. Eren...Eren might be stronger than he could ever hope to be, truthfully. That thought in mind, Levi returned his gaze to the paperwork upon his desk, not really wanting to do it. Most of it pertained to the teen under his care, and none of it was good. The Military Police was still trying to get their disgusting hands on him, either through underhanded means, or through Hanji by ordering needless and rather horrifying experiments. He wouldn't be surprised if they at some point wanted the scientist to tie him down and cut him open, see if he resembled a human on the inside.

...what hurt him the most was that Eren would probably let them, he was so devoted to helping humanity. He didn't care if his body came out of the tests mangled and bruised, so long as Hanji learned something that could get them closer to destroying the beasts outside the walls. The brunette had confessed to him once that during his childhood, his best friend Armin had found one of the forbidden books on the outside world, that they read it intently despite the threat of getting caught. He had told Levi of all the wonders that supposedly existed out there with such wonder in his eyes, the midnight-eared man didn't have the heart to stop him, nor report the two for prior crimes. He even found himself wondering if such things truly existed, if those were things other than the freedom of humans to fight for. Of course, he kept that thought to himself. Maybe someday he'd admit to having a brief moment of wanderlust, but not anytime soon. This expedition took full priority and concentration; it was both a mission towards Shiganshina, and a test of Eren's titan abilities.

Massaging his temples, he groaned, knowing he wouldn't be able to focus on his work at this rate. His young fighter was on his mind. He was too worried about the potential outcomes of...well...everything. While he trusted his squad to protect the teen on this mission, there were still too many unknowns to account for. If they could head out from the Trost gate, the strategy would be much simpler – more of the area outside of there had been mapped as of late. But they were leaving from Karanese, and the most they knew was the remaining ruins and the Forest of Giant Trees. It would provide a shorter route to their destination, yes...but from what they knew about the titans, they tended to congregate close to what was once pockets of humans. Those ruins could easily be filled with those monsters for all they knew, and as they were trying to avoid confrontation...

There was also the factor of sunlight. Hanji's recent discovery of their main source of “food” being sunlight put a bit of a kink into their plans. Daylight was when they had to travel, and daylight was when titans would be active. How many aberrants would be out there? Did they function similarly to normal ones in their need for daytime travel? Or were there some that were fine at night, only needing moonlight to survive? There was that one titan Hanji had that remained quite active even after hours of being kept in the dark. Did this mean some could store enough energy to stay on the move after the sun had gone down?

They still had too many questions without answers, questions that wouldn't be answered without capturing another titan or two for observation. Dammit, but whoever it was that slaughtered the ones they had was going down if he ever got his hands on them. Hanji had said they might've been close to a breakthrough if they could have had just a few more days! How much information could that have given them?

...he was giving himself a headache...tea. Tea sounded good. Too bad sugar was currently rationed...that would be lovely to add to it right now. This would be one of those days he missed his time in the Underground, to be honest. Things “rationed” for the military and the commoners never seemed to be within the innermost wall or for the Military Police for some “unknown” reason. That was one of the few reasons he made what living he had – steal some of what was short in the other walls, you could sell it to the black market or trade for what you needed (in his case, food and clothing...or that one time, the gear he, Isabel, and Farlan just happened to come across). If his face wasn't so well-known now, he could probably sneak into Sina and get anything the Legion needed. Granted, he might be a little rusty, as it'd been quite a while since his days as a thief...but it shouldn't be too hard to get back into the swing of things.

A knock at his door drew him from his musings on risking his career. Calling for whoever it was to come in, he barely hid his surprise to see Eren coming in with two cups of...oh, was that actually _tea_? How did he know?

Eren just smiled. “Petra said you've been up here all day.” he said softly, walking over. “She wanted to bring it up here herself, but she's been setting up the barracks for all the women. I'm...hoping I made it to your liking.”

Levi took one of the cups, murmuring a word of thanks before taking a sip. “...it's sweet...” he stated, looking up at the teen.

“There was some honey in the kitchen. She told me you add sugar when we actually have some.”

...of course. Natural substitute. The other would know - he came from one of the poorer areas of Maria, and the people there probably found ways to make what they had last longer, if they even had it at all. His father was also a doctor – it stood to reason he'd teach his son some of what he knew. He let himself relax, enjoying the beverage in his hand. “...it's okay?” the teen asked, a hopeful look on his face, ears and tail twitching as he awaited an answer.

“Yeah...you did well.” the elder replied, eyes taking on a softer gaze as he met the bright emerald ones of the other. Eren grinned brightly before taking the seat on the other side of the desk, somehow folding his legs beneath him (damn him and his youthful flexibility) as he took a sip from his own cup. A few minutes passed, though, and Levi was unnerved by the silence...usually, when they were alone, they talked, even if it was just idle conversation over what had happened through the day...had something about his friends upset the young man before him? “...Eren...is something wrong?”

Brown ears drooped, and Eren dropped his gaze to his tea as if it was quite interesting. “...I...I didn't know...” He looked so defeated in that moment that it broke Levi's heart. “...Marco...h-he...he was so nice...such a kind person to everybody, and a dear friend to us all...he...he's _dead_ and I didn't _know_...it...i-it happened during Trost...” Tears began to fall from his eyes as his shoulders began to shake. “...it's not fair, Levi! He didn't...he didn't deserve to die!”

Setting his drink down, the elder got up and walked around to the other, drawing him into an embrace. “...none of us do, Eren...we all take that risk upon enlisting, though.” he murmured, nuzzling a soft ear in comfort. “It's the one thing nobody can predict. That's why so few don't try to find their “perfect match” anymore. It becomes too painful should they lose them.”

“...but you wanted yours...”

“Because I don't intend to lose you. I already swore my life to the military...let me at least promise my heart to you.”

The raven heard his fighter let out a soft laugh. “...you never say stuff so corny, Levi.”

A dry grin cracked his face, and he hid it in Eren's hair. “...I'm making an exception for you, brat. I'll kick your ass if you tell anybody I said that.”

Eren squirmed until he could look up at the elder's face, pouting. “You're so mean to me! I thought we were supposed to be looking out for each other, you ass.”

They both started laughing, pressing their foreheads together. As their mirth died down to light chuckles, the brunette leaned up and placed a kiss upon Levi's cheek, surprising the sacrifice quite a bit. Eren leaned back a bit, blushing and biting his lip in embarrassment. “I...I'm sorry...w-was that too...too soon?” The pair had never gone beyond just cuddling and holding each other, _maybe_ sharing a bed when they were needing the comfort only the other could give, Levi still the one nervous to go further than that due to his more...turbulent...past.

Letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd taken in, the elder looked at Eren with wide eyes. “...no...I just...wasn't expecting it...” Slowly, he relaxed, kneeling down to be slightly more even with the teen's face – Eren when he was sitting was just the right height if Levi was on his knees. Hesitantly, he brought his hands up to the teen's face, pulling him down as he, himself, came up, pressing his lips chastely to the soft ones before him. Their first kiss...it was a large step for the sacrifice. Eren could feel the trust Levi was placing in him, that Eren wouldn't hurt him like he had nearly been so many times before. It'd be a while before that bond would really be solid, but...

...Eren could wait. They were both healing, in many ways. Levi had already helped him so much...it was time he did the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some "happier" moments between the pair. And yes, Erwin's a fucking perv. It's intentional. He's only playing turn-about on Levi. Our poor corporal deserves it sometimes for being a grouch, though (he probably put Erwin through hell after he was recruited...). I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner than this one made it.


	6. Limitless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One had believed he would never heal. The other felt he didn't deserve the affections of another. Perhaps they could prove each other wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we finally get to the Jearmin. This chapter is pretty centric on those two. Also, I've got a personal headcanon that Armin's got an eidetic memory (meaning he can pretty much remember anything he has ever read).
> 
> We've also got a bit more Eruri, Eruren, and Eruriren in this chapter. Oh, and Mikasa's an overprotective mother hen (but that isn't a huge surprise).

Mikasa had started to become suspicious of how much time her brother was spending around the corporal outside of training, as well as how familiar they seemed to be. She still didn't trust the man after the scene in the courtroom, even _if_ it did save Eren's life. And she had caught sight of what seemed like a name across her sibling's chest that hadn't been there before...if that man had bound himself to her brother, she would murder him, despite the fact she would be placed in prison herself. It was at least obvious they weren't _too_ intimate – the pair still had their ears and tails, things that would have disappeared as soon as they slept together. But she had to know just how close they were...

She vowed to follow them at some point. She wouldn't let that bastard hurt her family.

* * *

 

Her chance came earlier than she expected. Training had ended early due to the sudden appearance of a horrible storm, and as their base was surrounded by forest, the officers decided that it would probably be safer if everyone was inside...they'd at least be slightly more protected by the stone than by a bunch of tall trees. Some of the soldiers kept watch in case lightning was to strike and cause fire too close to them. They'd be able to evacuate in that situation fairly quickly, everybody keeping at the ready just in case. The legion only relaxed as the rain began to pass, taking the lightning and with it, therefore the risk, as well. A constant watch was kept just in case, however. Their presence could be called for in town should something happen there.

As they all broke off into groups, Mikasa saw the pair go off on their own, unbeknownst to everyone else...though, it seemed like the veteran members noticed...why didn't they do anything? Did they already know? Was there actually something going on between the two? Waiting until all of them were no longer paying attention, she slipped away to trail after them, intent on seeing for herself.

Voices from on down the hallway alerted her to the fact she should stop before she might be noticed. Eren's, she would always recognize.

“...but I'm worried.” he finished. She didn't know what he had said before that – she had come in too late to hear. “...will the others...will they be prepared before this? I don't want to lose any more friends, Levi.”

A sigh from the elder. “Eren, we can only train them so much. I showed you the plans, despite the fact I really shouldn't have. Even with what we know, there's a lot we don't. We could encounter titans as soon as we leave the gates, for all we know. Hell, they could even be Aberrants if that's the case.” Another sigh, annoyed this time. “...you, of all people, should be aware casualties are the price we pay.”

“I know that! But it doesn't make it any easier to deal with!”

“I'm aware...” Levi gave a dry laugh. “...you should've heard Erwin's speech at the recruitment ceremony. He pretty much told them flat out what we're doing this time around. That we're going straight for Shiganshina. And you're friends joined anyway.” A pause, filled with the sound of movement, though Mikasa couldn't tell what kind. “...they joined even though they were told we're heading straight into enemy territory, Eren. Not everybody would. That's worth something.”

A soft noise of what she took as acknowledgment from Eren. “...Levi?”

“Mm?”

“...don't die out there...I can't...I can't lose you, too.”

A soft chuckle. “Only if you don't either. That's an order, you brat. And not just as your corporal – it's from your sacrifice, too.”

Mikasa's eyes widened at those words, with both surprise and fury. So they were bonded...that name meant the two were a true pair, as well...how dare that bastard...how _dare_ he be the one for Eren, after the way he'd treated him?! Silently, she made her way back to the others.

...she would find a way to keep them apart, for her brother's safety.

* * *

 

Armin huffed in frustration, wondering why the _hell_ the equipment storage couldn't have a fucking foot stool of all things as he attempted to jump up to see exactly how many cases of blades they had. He'd been assigned inventory, and if he'd known things would be above his head, he would've grabbed somebody tall to assist him. Like Jean...

...no. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about the other. For one, the taller recruit was still showing signs of grieving over Marco, and probably wouldn't be interested in any sort of relationship for a while. Secondly...well...the blond didn't really need to think over that one too much. Anybody could just look at him and see that he probably wouldn't make it too long outside the walls. He was scrawny, wasn't the best with the gear, only made it to the top ten because of his brain...who'd want that? A weak little twig with ears sticking off his head at awkward angles was all he was, to be perfectly frank. Jean could have much better than him once he was ready, even if it meant he'd have to push his own feelings aside.

Right now, though, those stupid crates were being the bane of his existence. He was so fucking close to just attaching himself to the ceiling with the gear and hanging upside down to count all the damn things. Tail lashing in anger, he froze when he heart laughter from the doorway.

“Having problems?”

Armin whipped around to see the very person he'd been thinking about standing there, obviously having just finished with the stables, as he was covered in straw. “A-Ah...yeah, actually. I mean...you'd think they'd have something around here for people to stand on.”

Jean shrugged as he walked over. “Something tells me they hid it after Sasha joined. There's a new lock that was mysteriously installed a few nights ago on the food storage.”

“...so that's what that wailing was.” The pair chuckled, remembering how the entire base had been woken up by a banshee-esque cry in the middle of the night. Even after the soldiers who had gone out to see what it was had said they weren't in any danger, it didn't really calm down until after a very angry, very tired corporal shouted at them all to, “Get the fuck back to bed.” (In more words and with a few more colorful terms that the recruits hadn't heard used in that way before...and never wanted to again). “Um...anyway. Could you help me count those crates? There's some at the very back, and I don't want to turn the report in with an inaccurate number...”

“Better idea.”

That was all the warning Armin got before he was hoisted onto the taller teen's shoulders. The blond let out a shriek at the sudden change in his height, ears and tail stiff. “...you okay up there?” Jean asked, not having expected that kind of reaction.

“Y...Yes. I...I'm okay.” And truthfully, he was, once he could get used to being so _tall_. It was an odd feeling, being able to see things from this kind of perspective for once. “Alright...lemme get these down really quickly. I'll...I'll tell you if we need to move, okay?”

“Gotcha.”

...this was so much better than jumping and hoping he wasn't counting the same ones over again. And he could even see if any of the crates were damaged from water or pests! That would definitely be beneficial knowledge for the inventory report! It took hardly any time at all before he was finished, only needing Jean to move a little once - he had thought he saw something that looked like decay on one of the boxes, and was relieved to see it wasn't, just a darker spot in the wood.

“Everything looked okay up there?” the brunette asked as he got the smaller teen off his shoulders, setting him back onto his feet.

“Yup!” Armin replied brightly. “The previous shipment report is accurate to the number we have in here. I don't need to report damages, either – none of the crates show signs of break or decay.”

“That's...good, right?”

“Of course! It means we won't have to try and get replacement blades so close to the mission. We're four days from heading out, and supply requests normally need a week or more. If any of these had to have been replaced, it could either have delayed us, or shorted some of us the weapons we need to fight. Yes, one of the main goals is to not _have_ to encounter titans, but we still need every blade we have – we're heading right to the edge of Wall Maria, and we won't be able to restock on much of anything once we're out there.” The blond stopped, biting his lip. “...it...it'll be the first time I've seen Shiganshina in years...”

Jean's eyes widened. “You...That's right....you're from there, too...”

A nod, golden tail hanging low. “...I wonder if its true...about what Eren's father was hiding. I mean, I pretty much knew Eren my whole life! According to what my grandfather told me, it was Doctor Jaegar who delivered me – the midwife couldn't make it for some reason, and he was the closest person with medical knowledge to the house. He was always such a kind man, even making trips into Sina to try and get medicine for the people in Maria when it was in short supply...it just doesn't make sense that this would be the same man who'd have such a dark secret...” Armin looked down at his feet. “...and we don't even know if what Eren can do is natural or something Doctor Jaegar did to him...which makes me even more unsure about returning.”

Jean had nothing he could say to that. While he was as curious as most everybody else there was to see if there really was some secret to the titans hidden away in that basement, here was one of his friends, who had known the man personally, and was at war with himself as to whether the answers would be worth the sacrifice, _if_ there even was an answer to be found.

He reached up to ruffle blond locks teasingly, but pulled back when searing pain shot through the same hand. Jean vaguely heard a small cry of pain from Armin, too. Minutes later, with wide eyes, they stared at each other, before Armin muttered an apology and quickly gathered the reports he had dropped during that time, rushing off to deliver them.

Amber eyes watched as the small blond ran off before staring back at his own palm, and to the name now branded onto it.

_Limitless_

* * *

 

Erwin didn't even have a chance to say anything before a fuming, dark-eared corporal was stalking into his office, dragging his younger counterpart behind him. “...one normally knocks before barging into somebody's room, Levi. Were this my office, I wouldn't have too many arguments against your lack of social charms.”

Turquoise eyes blinked up sheepishly from where Eren had unceremoniously landed in a heap on the floor. “...he's...a little bit upset because my sister keeps finding us and interrupting.”

“A _little_?!” Levi snarled. “If she weren't your sister, let alone one of our strongest recruits, I'd have already given the order for her to be scrubbing down the exterior of this damn castle with a _toothbrush_.”

“That's...a little excessive.” Erwin mused.

Ears falling flat, the raven glared at the taller sacrifice. “...she practically accused me of forcing Eren into a bond. It's not excessive at all. Hence why I'm hiding him here until she's decided she's not his goddamn mother anymore.”

...the blond knew getting out of bed that morning wasn't a good idea. “I don't get a say in this?”

“I tried, Sir.” Eren sighed. “...unfortunately, I'm now under strict orders from my sacrifice to stay here so that Mikasa won't be able to find me. As Levi's also my superior officer, and the one in charge of my well-being as appointed by the Military Pol--”

“I'm...aware...Eren.” Erwin sighed with defeat. “...just so we're clear, Levi, you're not getting out of this without some form of retribution.”

Seeing the normally stoic man tense was amusing, as he knew he was one of the few who could make him. “...and I'm not about to tell you what you're in for. It's going to be based on how long I'm to be “fighter-sitting” Eren for you. I've read Shadis' reports, too – Ackerman's skills are exceptional, and if I have to creatively hide him just so she'll stay off your case, it's going to cost.”

He grinned at the wide-eyed look from the younger, and the gulp he heard from the elder. “D-Duly noted...E-Erwin...” Levi said before hastily leaving.

Eren waited until he knew Levi was down the hall before barraging the commander with questions as to just what he intended to do, more than a little miffed that Erwin would – _could_ – scare Levi like that.

“Oh, nothing at all like you're probably thinking.” the blond chuckled. “I'll just let his imagination run rampant for a bit before hiding every single piece of cleaning object I can find of his. Probably in Hanji's lab...they aren't exactly known for keeping that part of their life in the best of order, as I'm sure you've seen first hand.”

Coughing lightly, Eren blushed in embarrassment. “Actually, Sir, you'd be better off stashing some of them there, and the rest somewhere else. Levi's been getting better about entering the labs ever since I've been having to go there.”

Erwin raised an eyebrow. “...you're honestly going to risk incurring his wrath to help me with this?”

“...I did say I tried to convince him otherwise.”

* * *

 

Jean hadn't seen Armin the rest of the day, the blond having done a good job of avoiding him. With it being night, though, and them being assigned the same room, the brunette had a good chance of finally being able to talk with the smaller teen. He never expected that to happen when he offered to help him earlier. Hell, he never expected that _period_. He and Marco had been happy to just be with each other, knowing that – even in the innermost wall – anything could happen, and the odds of actually finding their “true partner” was slim. They'd been friends for years, knew each other well...who better to lose their ears to? Spend what lives they had left with? The unexpected _had_ happened, though...and in a way neither had counted on. Being placed in different units of the Military Police, they could've handled...days off were occasionally given, so they still would've seen each other.

...death at the hands of a titan attack that almost repeated the tragedy of five years ago...that was...that was nothing they had thought of.

And maybe he _had_ just been deluding himself in the time that'd passed since that day, convincing himself to think that he might not be as happy with anybody else as he was with Marco. Yet now...he was being faced with another chance...and he didn't know how to feel. Especially since Armin had run away. Was the blond upset that he was his chosen? Or just scared of what that bond meant? They had a _lot_ to discuss...

He stopped short as he entered the room when he heard...was that...crying? It was pitch black inside, but he could faintly make out a lump on Armin's bed that could probably be said blond. Being as quiet as possible, he moved to light the oil lamp, knowing exactly where it was even in the dark. Once lit, he shut the door, turning his eyes back to the shivering figure. The glow from the lamp made the teen's gold ears an almost orange color, and the end of his tail hung from beneath the blanket over the edge of the bed.

“...whoever it is, please leave me alone...” came the blond's voice, cracked from crying. “...I don't...I don't want to see anybody right now.”

“Armin, it's me.”

Jean saw the small form tense up beneath the blankets, then curl in tighter on itself, the once visible tail disappearing completely, his head dipping down further into the sheets until even his ears barely showed.

“...please go away. Jean...I...I can't _deal_ with this right now.”

The taller male sighed, sitting down at the end of the blond's bed. “...you think I can? How many people honestly find their partner nowadays? Hell, I wasn't even looking for mine...especially after enlisting.”

Armin was silent for a few minutes. “...but you were heading for the interior. You could have searched for yours, took them with you.”

“Tch. Like I was really interested in that.” Another sigh escaped his lips. “...want to know why I was so desperate to head for Sina? It's cause Marco and I...well, we may have been from one of the better areas of Rose, but it still wasn't one of the best. You wouldn't _believe_ how many people turned to the black market for some of what they had. I wanted to get my family out of there. Marco was the same. Yeah, a lot of people were against us joining up, especially after what happened to Maria...” He stopped, remembering how angry his father got at him when he'd made his decision to go through the training...it'd hurt, be yelled at for wanting to try and help them somehow. “...but I still wanted to try.”

Yellow ears poked out from where they were buried. “...that's...that's why you two...?”

He gave a short laugh. “Guess so? We didn't really see each other finding anybody else. How many people other than Annie had their minds set on the Military Police? And _she_ wasn't about to hook up with anybody.”

“...I kinda liked her back when we were recruits.” Armin admitted, muffling his words into the pillow.

“Who didn't? I think the only one who wasn't was Eren, and that was because he was more interested in killing titans.”

“...he's got a name now.”

Jean nearly fell off the edge of the bed. “You're shitting me! Him?! Any idea who?”

“No clue...I think it might be one of the Special Ops Squad, though. He didn't have it before what happened...in Trost...”

Shaking his head, the brunette chuckled. “...dammit...one more thing he's beaten me at. First he gets a higher rank in the class than me, now this.” A smile came to his lips when he heard Armin laugh lightly, something in him feeling better at hearing that instead of the sobs from before. “...look...I know I'm...probably not the first person you'd ever want for this kind of thing...hell, I'm probably the _last_ person anybody'd want, to be honest...”

Armin sat up all of a sudden, looking frantic. “Th-That's not it at all!” Blue eyes wide, he bit his lip, looking away as if his outburst had shocked him, too. “...you...you still haven't gotten over...well...a-and...I don't want to burden you with this, too...I already weigh people down enough as it is! I mean...look at me!! I'm horrible in battle, I can't even do my assignments around the base without help...the only thing I have going for me is the fact I'm smart, and even that is overshadowed by people like the corporal and the commander! You...you deserve someone better than me...I'm practically useless...”

...he snapped after hearing the small neko degrade himself like that. Jean didn't know what possessed him to do it, but he lurched forward, pinning the other down by his wrists, making damn sure that Armin was looking right at him. “Don't you _ever_ say you're useless again.” He growled. “You're not a burden to anybody. You think Mikasa or Eren'd let you say that shit? _Especially_ after Trost.” Jean saw the small blond's eye go wide when he said that. “...we all heard from Connie that you were willing to stay behind so that he and Mikasa could make it to HQ...and most of that plan to retake the district was yours, wasn't it? ...you...” He swallowed back the tears, faces of all the friends they'd lost, of the soldiers they saw die that day...all of them coming to mind as he said this. “...you're the one who got Eren back on his feet...not even Mikasa could do that. You did something the top of our class _couldn't_ , Armin.” Lightly, he grasped the blond's right hand, the hand their name was branded upon now. “...have you looked at what we're called? Limitless...”

“Limitless...” Armin whispered, glancing at his palm. “...are we really, though? The human body is restrained by so many things...our need for rest, for example. We also can't go longer than a week without water, upwards of a month without food. And look at how long we've had to stay within the walls, too...”

“When did you get so pessimistic?”

“I prefer realistic. Somebody had to be when dealing with Eren.”

Laughing, Jean leaned up enough to flick the blond in the forehead. “Yeah, but you seem to be forgetting how few limits your brain seems to have. How quickly did you read through all the books during our trainee years?”

“Five months, one week, two days, seventee-”

“Okay, I get the point, you keep a record of exactly how many minutes it takes to get through everything.” He smiled. “But you see what I mean, right? And you could probably tell me exactly what was in the handbook we were given for proper gear maintenance word for word, too.”

Blue eyes looked away shyly, a pink blush dusting pale cheeks. “...yes...”

“Every book you read as a child, I'm guessing?”

“...probably.”

“And if somebody were to ask you to recall the exact plans from Trost and draw them out on a map...”

“...I'm not the best artist...but yes...I could most likely do it.” Armin met Jean's eyes finally, ears twitching nervously. “...you...you don't find that weird?”

“That you can spout off every piece of information you've ever learned and never need the book in front of you again? Can't be any weirder than the fact we have a guy who can turn into a titan or Hanji.”

The laugh he brought from the blond was a wonderful sound, and Jean couldn't help the smile that came to his face. He didn't know if it was from the bond they now shared, or just the fact Armin wasn't upset anymore...but seeing the other happy again was nice. Maybe...just maybe...they could make this work.

* * *

 

Somehow, Levi had convinced Mikasa to lay off him and Eren's case. It was hard enough trying to keep the fact he was paired with a subordinate from the higher ups, let alone that said soldier happened to be the one they didn't even want existing in the first place. He more or less pulled her aside and told her that, too. Needless to say, she wasn't happy with how he'd phrased it, but she understood. Obviously, Levi didn't expect her to stop anytime soon – she was too protective of her brother for good reasons (the loss of their family, the destruction of their home, and now the recent scrutiny of every action he made in the military easily made her want to keep him under a watchful eye).

...granted, he wanted to make some kind of retributive action against her for threatening to geld him if he ever hurt Eren again...with a _spoon_ , no less...

Whatever...he had a fighter to collect from Erwin.

“Door's unlocked, Levi.” came said commander's voice from within the room. Well...that was disconcerting – was he so easy to predict? Regardless...

He paused as soon as he was inside. Both were laying on the bed, Eren cuddled up to the blond's side. Black ears fell back in agitation, and his tail flicked as he stalked over. “...I wouldn't wake him up, if I were you.” Erwin said softly, hands folded over his chest. “He more or less pounced me as soon as I entered. Apparently, being stuck in here all day made him antsy...rather short-sighted of you, I'd say. I wasn't sure when you'd be here to get him, save that it'd be late; being close to somebody seemed to be calming him down, and he eventually just fell asleep.” The two looked down when the teen shifted, curling closer to the body next to him, a sleepy little mewl leaving his parted lips before he settled back down. “...don't worry, Levi. I've not done anything untoward. In case you've not noticed yet, he's stolen all the blankets, anyway.”

True enough, Eren was bundled within nearly every single sheet that was on the bed, his head poking out from the top. Erwin, himself, was merely laying atop the mattress, just watching the brunette rest. It was a rather cute sight to behold, if Levi let himself be honest. Huffing out a sigh, he shook his head, running a hand through his short hair. “...I managed to at least convince his sister to lay off a bit...but I never want to deal with over-protective siblings again.” Levi looked at the young man snoozing away. “...any way we can scoot him over? There'd be room for all three of us if we could get him to the middle.”

“Are you suggesting we sleep together?” He grinned when the raven-haired man's ears went flat against his skull, eyes narrowing into a glare.

“...pervert. Get your mind out of the underground – there's no fucking way we'll get him down to his room if he's already like this. Just move him over. I'll go grab the blankets off my bed for us, cause there'll be no way to get him out of those without waking him.”

As soon as the other stalked out of the room, Erwin chuckled lightly, slowly moving the young shifter over as to not wake him. “...you're lucky he's your sacrifice, Eren. I know he doesn't often show how much he cares...but you're probably well aware of that already.” He brushed some stray strands of hair from Eren's face. “...take care of him, Eren. I have a feeling you'll be the only one who can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey, foreshadowing. Possibly cookies if people can guess of what. And Eren, stop being adorable - I'm supposed to be writing you as an angry little teenage ball of angst. You're making Levi lose his reputation over here! Any more of this, and we might as well be adding in scenes from that doujin game...
> 
> ...oh...wait...**looks at tags**
> 
> Okay...shutting up now.


	7. Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How human could he be when so many saw him as a monster?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, once again, for taking so long to update. Life has been...well, a bit difficult. But, I'll hopefully have the next chapter up sooner than this one.

The air was tense as everyone geared up for the ride out. It was the day of the 57th Expedition of the Scouting Legion. The official plan was to head out from Karanese and use an old supply route that would lead them most of the way to Shiganshina. After that, though, they'd have to rely on what little they had based off remaining maps and the information gathered along the way. More or less, everyone was calm, knowing that many of the best in the military were there. There were a few who looked like they wanted to stay behind, but even they attempted to stay determined.

Armin was among the few who were still nervous about the whole thing. He'd managed to figure out that nobody would really know where Levi's squad – and subsequently Eren – would be placed once the formation was in place. Each unit had been given a different map on purpose, from what he could tell. He hadn't shared this thought with anybody else, but...well, he could only suspect that it had to do with the incident regarding the captured titans. Could Erwin think that the person responsible be one of them? No...that was impossible, otherwise there was the chance he would have delayed the mission. So, it was likely that it was more a safety precaution given Eren's abilities. Armin had seen MP representatives come every so often to check on the progress of Hanji's experiments. It was also probable that they came to inquire about Erwin's plans for outside the wall, and therefore a “false map” would be necessary for that as well, for Eren's safety in case of any potential sabotage.

...and the blond had also seen the lack of updated maps they had for the area within Maria, not to mention that they really didn't have many new findings on the behaviors of the titans. He could form last minutes plans, yes, but not having information made it much harder to.

He squeaked when he felt a hand on his shoulder, only calming when he saw it was Jean. “...o-oh...i-is everything okay?”

“We'll make it back fine.” the taller teen soothed, reaching up to lightly rub at a silken ear. “...if anything goes too badly, I'll call you over, okay?”

The blond pouted, even as he subconsciously leaned into the touch. “You know we can't break formation except under orders. Don't call me to your side unless you're about to die or something.” He sighed, eyes fluttering shut before he let himself fall against his sacrifice's chest. “...you'd...you'd better not get hurt, Jean...I swear I won't forgive you if you do!”

“Hey, look who you're talking to. I wasn't sixth for no reason.” The pair separated as the order for everyone to get ready to move was heard, but not before Jean ducked down to place a quick kiss on Armin's forehead. “Everything'll be fine. Don't worry. Your ears'll fall off from twitching too much if you keep at it.”

Armin wasn't sure whether to throw something at the brunette for making him look like a red flare had shot into his face, or thank him for taking his mind off the fact they were leaving the walls.

* * *

 

Jean's heart leaped to his throat when he saw Armin go flying from his horse, body crumpling after rolling ten meters at the very least. He couldn't tell if the blond was conscious, or whether the force of the Female Titan's blow had done enough damage that the teen could possibly be dying from internal damage. All he knew was that he had to get over there, faster now as he watched the titan kneel down beside the small blond.

Armin's eyes, hazy with pain, widened when he watched the other go in for the kill. This variant was intelligent, too much like Eren's to be standard deviant type. His thoughts were confirmed as soon as it slapped a hand over the nape of its neck, guarding the weak point. Forcing himself to his knees, he managed to keep an eye open to study the fight. He had a theory about this particular variant...he just had to wait for the right moment to test it. The blond felt horrible about using his fighter as a way to pull this experiment...but this would be the only way. Biting his lip, he waited until the female was about to strike. “Jean!!” he cried out, voice loud enough to be heard across the field. “You have to avenge that suicidal fool!!”

Only he and the rest of the 104th would know who that was. If this deviant really _was_ like Eren, and was human-driven...

The titan stopped mid-swing. Armin could see that both Jean and Reiner were looking at him strangely, as if he'd lost his mind during that fall, but he didn't care. He kept going, trying to keep its attention. Relief flooded him when he saw Jean land safely on the ground, but when Reiner went in to try and make the kill...the pair nearly thought they'd lost their friend.

They could only hope they'd bought enough time for the rest of the group to escape...

...what was left of them, at least.

Of course, they, themselves were stranded. One horse wouldn't be enough to carry all three of them back to the wall. And while Jean was a bit miffed that he couldn't tend to his fighter's wounds himself, he had to see if his horse was still around. So far, it seemed like it wasn't...it hadn't responded to any of his whistling. He tried his best to tune out Reiner's talk of one of them staying behind, because he knew right away that Armin would volunteer...the blond always put others before himself, even now.

Just as Armin began doing exactly that, he saw somebody coming towards them, two horses with them.

...Christa Renz...only the kindest girl of their class. Probably only matched by Marco. She'd seen the flare Jean had sent up, and had found his horse, too. The joy they had at seeing her was short-lived when a green flare came up from the front of the formation. It only meant one thing – the mission was being continued, despite the many yellow flares that had been shot.

“...is it possible the signals never made it to the command position?” Armin mused as they rode, worry clawing at him for what was left of the legion. How many had been taken out by the Female Titan and the ones she had brought with her? If nearly all of the right flank was gone...was the left flank the same? What of the rear? Eren would most definitely either be there or in the center...

“Who knows...all we can do is follow what we're being told.” Reiner said tersely, keeping his eyes forward.

Chewing on his lower lip in nervousness, Armin glanced to the side, meeting Jean's eyes. He wanted so badly to just bury himself in the others arms, forget that they were surrounded with so much death not even a few hours in to the expedition. The look in those amber orbs told him he exact same, that his sacrifice was just as worried as he was about this. Offering a tiny smile, he tried to reassure Jean that he'd be okay, they both would (strange how earlier, it was the opposite). Returning it, the brunette let some of the tension he'd felt go before returning his gaze to the path ahead.

Neither knew what was in store for them, but for now, as long as they could stay together, they felt like they could deal with it better.

* * *

 

Eren was torn between wanting to listen to the rest of the squad and just taking down the variant chasing them himself. He could _hear_ people dying behind them! He could just bite down on his hand and take out the titan, keep more people from being killed!

...but...they were all asking him to trust them, to believe in them that things would be okay.

And Levi...the brunette had almost expected him to use their bond as sacrifice and fighter to order him to stay there, to keep going. Instead, though...the elder told him it was his choice what he did, his decision as to whether he shifted or kept going.

Ears flat beneath his hood, he cast his green eyes to his trembling hand, warring with himself whether to sink his teeth into it or not. It would be so easy to transform, stop the Female Titan behind them...but he could hear Petra pleading with him to just trust them, to believe in them. Memories of the day the four who made up Squad Levi biting into their _own_ hands...

...squeezing his eyes shut, he gripped the reigns of his horse tightly, leaning forward to try and block out the cries of pain behind him, the thunderous footsteps that seemed to just be speeding up with each fall. Why this titan was so intent on following them, he couldn't begin to imagine, but it was a scary thought that maybe...just maybe...this one was after _him_.

His attention was drawn when Levi suddenly told them to cover their ears, and he saw the elder setting up a flare gun. Was he giving a signal that they needed help? The flare went off, and as soon as they passed, he heard Erwin give an order to fire. Looking behind, Eren saw Hanji's unit firing wires, trapping the titan in place. Its hand had covered the nape of its neck before it was completely immobilized, something he'd never seen a titan do before. Just how intelligent was this deviant type? But Erwin seemed to have caught it. Maybe they could take it back and use it as a new test subject for Hanji (difficult as it might be...it looked like it was a 15 meter class). The squad finally stopped, and Levi handed his horse over to Erd, saying he was going to go speak with the commander before zipping off into the trees.

“Haaaa...well, at least everything ended pretty well!” Petra sighed, tail swaying behind her as she stroked her horse's mane affectionately. “But, I have to admit, I didn't know that was the plan...”

Eren looked at the ground, brow furrowed, his brown tail twitching to match his nerves. “...it couldn't be that Levi didn't trust us...right?”

Oluo glared at him. “How can you even insinuate that about the corporal?!”

“No...the kid's got a point.” Gunther said, placing a calming hand on Oluo's shoulder. “Think about it. How many people do you think the commander really would've told about everything, especially after what happened to Hanji's captured titans?”

Erd, from where he was leaning against a tree, shook his head. “...probably only the people who've been in the legion the longest. Which would be the squad leaders. He trusts all of us, but with information like that...”

Petra nodded solemnly. “Understandable. Even more so since the culprit was never found. It hurts to think it could be one of our own, but the possibility is out there.”

There was more to be said, but a horrifying scream sounded through the forest, from the direction Levi had gone. “...that sounds bad. We should head out.”

As they took to the air, Eren had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was about to go horribly wrong...

* * *

 

Jean could only watch as titans streamed into the forest after that scream. He'd heard Sasha's frightened words, of how that was the sound of something cornered. He didn't know what was going on in there, but the fear in the cat-eared brunette's expression was too evident. She was from a village that thrived on hunting; that was a sound she would know. His gaze went to Armin, who stood not to far from him on another branch. The blond was backed against the trunk of the tree, eyes wide and trembling. He looked like he was having some kind of flashback. Could the sound have brought back memories of Shiganshina? Jean wanted so badly to go over to the blond, to try and bring him out of whatever hell he was seeing before him, but orders...their orders were to stay where they were, now that there were too many titans to fight.

Jaw clenching, he silently promised that if it looked like his partner was about to be in any danger, then to hell with his orders. Armin came first. Any punishment was worth keeping the other safe.

He'd broken that promise once, and Marco had died alone...he wasn't about to fail again.

* * *

 

They'd had to take a different route to rendezvous with the others. Waves of titans came crashing through, some strong enough to break through some of the newer trees that lined the path they were supposed to use.

Gunther was the first to notice another figure coming up beside them, hood masking their face. Assuming it was Levi, he slowed down enough to greet them.

...Eren looked back just in time to see the man be killed.

The other three shouted for Eren to keep going, that they'd handle this. He wanted to argue them down, that he could help, but he knew that this was their job to protect him. Levi had entrusted his care to them while he was gone. As the figure turned into the Female Titan from before, he continued ahead, silently wishing them luck. This person had killed so many already...looking back again, his eyes widened as he watched the three work quickly to take the titan down, blinding it and disabling it so fast he almost couldn't believe it.

...the unthinkable happened soon after, as the titan regenerated one eye faster instead of waiting for both. She retaliated, and decimated what remained of Squad Levi as if they were normal soldiers instead of some of the elite.

Rage filled the teen at this. He had trusted them to do this...and look at what had happened! It had led to their deaths! He should have just turned into his titan form! Maybe they'd still be alive! Eyes narrowing and tail lashing, he bit into his hand.

Elsewhere, Levi's dark ears perked. He knew that roar. _Eren_... He sped up, dread filling him. Only one reason could come to his mind as to why his fighter would now be a titan...and he didn't like it.

He didn't know if he'd be too late, either – that person was too good, being able to escape right after leaving their titan? Eren couldn't even do that...so how long had this woman been practicing? And shifting again? Eren was outmatched by a longshot...

Levi arrived to find Mikasa chasing after the Female Titan. Had she captured Eren? No...

He had to grab Mikasa before she lunged in for a kill. “Don't.” he said. “You'll end up dead, too.”

“She has my brother!” the young woman snarled, trying to squirm free.

“I know...but we have to go about this with a plan instead of just with brute force.”

Mikasa looked at him before nodding tersely. They both took to the air, side by side, intent on rescuing Eren. She was loathe to admit it, but Levi was the better soldier here. She would be more useful keeping the titan's attention from the man while he tried to land some sort of hit that would force her to spit the other out. It would be difficult – this shifter was much better than Eren in practically everything – but they had to.

* * *

 

The ride back into town was harder than normal. It had only been hours since they rode out, and so many had died...they couldn't even return with the bodies. As soon as they'd arrived back at the castle that was their current base, a messenger from the Military Police arrived with a message calling for their presence in Sina the next day. Erwin was to be interrogated over the details of the failed mission, and the fight for Eren was to start once again.

...the air was tense during “dinner” (few ate that night, appetites lost in the wake of so much death). Armin had been silent for most of it, but was now speaking with the commander and squad leaders about something.

Which lead to the mess hall being turned into an impromptu meeting hall. Armin had a theory regarding the Female Titan's identity, and so they needed to formulate a plan around that. It was the person he suspected that caused a bit of disbelief amongst the ranks, however.

“There's no way it could be Annie!” Eren shouted, eyes wide.

“Think about it, Eren. She had Marco's gear during that inspection. The Female Titan was using Annie's moves. It _recognized_ my description of you when Jean, Reiner, and I were trying to fight it. And it didn't try to kill me when it had every opportunity to.” He looked down at the table, ears drooping. “...I don't want to believe it either, but when the facts are all pointing towards her...”

Erwin looked between the two before speaking. “...we've already been told that Eren is to be taken straight to the courthouse. No doubt they're going to put him back in the dungeon beneath.”

Levi crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “...that won't help if we're to try and capture Leonhart. We need Eren.”

“Would a decoy work?” Hanji asked. “I think we might have the means to disguise somebody of a similar height to look like him...”

“You mean like a wig?”

“Yup!” the scientist responded, tail swinging behind them. “Granted, we'd have to fashion some ears and a tail, but that shouldn't be too hard!”

“Whoever acts as decoy will need to be careful. MP will probably expect Eren to be in his cell when they come to escort us. We'll need to do the switch carefully.”

Armin closed his eyes for a moment in thought. “I think...I think I've got an idea...”

* * *

 

“...I can't believe you've got me as Eren's decoy...” Jean muttered, glaring half-heartedly at the teen on the bed as he changed out of his uniform.

Armin blushed, ears falling flat. “I-I'm sorry, but you're the only one close enough to Eren's height to work...It has to be as convincing as possible.”

Jean sighed, sliding onto the bed and pulling the slighter form into his arms. “I know...doesn't mean I have to like it, though.” He nuzzled into the blond locks just below his chin, placing a kiss to the base of an ear. “...you had me scared earlier...during the mission.”

“Which part? When I got thrown from my horse, or when we were pretty much titan bait?”

“Both. I almost thought you'd been killed after you went flying like that...I mean, I couldn't tell if you were moving! And then, after that scream...you looked like you were trapped in some kind of nightmare...” He felt Armin tense in his arms. “...so you were having a flashback...”

The blond gulped, feeling tears well in his eyes. “...so many people screamed like that when...when the titans had them cornered...it's...it's both amazing and so very frightening...how similar to animals humans are when faced with death.” He started trembling. “I...I can't...”

The brunette brought a hand up to card through Armin's hair, occasionally scratching a soft ear. “You don't need to talk about it...it's okay...” They stayed like that, Jean holding the other against him, running his fingers through his fighter's blond hair.

“...'m okay...” Armin mumbled into the sacrifice's chest. “I'm...I'm okay, Jean...”

“You sure?” he asked, hesitant to let the other go. Armin nodded, but made no move to pull away from the warmth of Jean's body. Nor did Jean make an effort to push him away. After that day, it was as if they subconsciously sought the comfort the other could give them. Jean couldn't help the laugh that left his lips when he felt his fighter's tail wrap around his leg, though, drawing a dark blush to Armin's cheeks. “S-Sorry...it...kinda has a mind of its own sometimes...” the blond muttered, hiding his face once again in the taller teen's chest.

Pressing a kiss to the top of the embarrassed boy's head, Jean chuckled. “It's fine. Actually...it's kinda cute.” He said as he reached down, stroking lightly at the bright gold appendage. His hand froze when he heard a soft whine from the other, and he looked down at Armin as best he could. “...d-did that...feel good?”

A nod. “It's...kinda sensitive. I guess because people are more interested in my ears...” He bit his lip. “...w-was yours not?”

The brunette shook his head. “...I don't really remember. It's...been a while since I've had it.”

Silence passed between them before Armin squirmed in his sacrifice's arms, a heavy blush on his face. “...could you...” He paused, looking as if he was debating actually asking his question. “...could you...do it again?”

Eyes wide, Jean nodded. “U-Uh...sure.” Shifting them so that he was on his back, the blond mostly on top of him, he brought his hand back to the silken tail, starting at the base and letting his fingers trail up to the tip before lightly making their way back down. He watched as Armin's face relaxed in an expression of bliss, body going lax in his arms as tiny mewls of delight escaped. Golden ears twitched on every gentle stroke. Armin had never looked more beautiful to Jean as he did right then.

...it made the brunette wonder if he would ever want to truly ruin this image before him.

* * *

 

Eren had taken refuge in Levi's room once again, wanting to put off having to go to his cell as long as possible. He would have to be there tonight. The Military Police would expect him to be there when they came to escort them to the capital in the morning.

...and he hated it. Levi had been letting him sleep with him ever since they began getting more comfortable around each other. That one time after the recruitment ceremony had been the last time for a long while, the elder just having been too tired to really fight it. Now, it was almost a nightly basis. Maybe he could be considered spoiled, but it was as the rest of the legion said – he wasn't a threat to humanity. He couldn't even shift unless he had some kind of real reason to. He was basically useless until the last minute. So right now, even though his partner wasn't there, caught in a final meeting with the commander and other squad leaders, he just needed to be surrounded with Levi's scent.

...it it wasn't for the fact those stupid MP guys coming tomorrow would be suspicious if he suddenly didn't have his damn ears, he'd let Levi take them tonight. But they knew the elder to have them still. And if he was missing them come morning, they'd look around to see who he'd slept with. If it was found that he, too, didn't have his anymore...that wouldn't help anybody. He and Levi had to be so careful to hide their relationship from the rest of the world...

Burrowing his face into the pillow, Eren squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back tears that threatened to fall. Why did he have to be a monster? Why did this ever have to happen to him? Was he really so horrible that he was never allowed to be normal?

So caught in his thoughts, he didn't realize that Levi had arrived until he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise. He turned over, meeting the concerned gaze. “...are you okay, Eren?” the elder asked softly.

The brunette shook his head. “...am I...” He swallowed. “...tell me I'm not some monster...tell me I don't need to be killed like the very thing I become...”

Levi's eyes widened, not having expected this. It had been a long time since Eren had ever doubted himself like this, questioned his humanity. Had the expedition really affected him so badly? Yes, the black-haired man, too, was still trying to process how easily all their people died...how fucking _simple_ it was for Annie to just wipe out his hand-picked squad of the best the legion had to offer...but for Eren to now once again be seeing his own existence as nothing but human...

Expression turning to one of sorrow, he lay beside the younger, pulling him into his arms. “...you're more human than most of the people I've ever met...I don't care what those bastards in the Military Police think – you've done more for humanity than they ever have. Just because they don't want to see it...” He sighed, trying to think of the right words. “...if you weren't human, then how is it that you have this?” He traced his fingers over the name etched over Eren's heart. “You're so devoted to humanity...to freeing us from these walls that've kept us caged for years. I've never seen somebody who inspires so many people to the same dream as you do, Eren, makes them think that maybe...just maybe...there truly is hope for a better life beyond. That something exists beyond what we've known. Those stories you told me of the ocean...would you believe that I...for a moment, I wanted to see it, too? I may never, though – we in the legion have the most dangerous jobs of all. Our death could come at any second when we step outside these walls.” He tightened his grasp. “...I want you to see it for me someday. Can you do that for me?”

Eren's eyes were wide, tears falling from the corners. Levi...Levi had believed him? Sobs wracking his frame, he turned in the elder's arms, turquoise meeting silver. “Levi...?”

“Yes?”

“...don't let them take me. I...I _can't_ go back to that dungeon...please don't let them take me from you.”

Burying his face in the soft hair of his young fighter, Levi closed his eyes. “...I'd return to the Underground just to protect you, Eren.”

Smiling softly, Eren curled closer into his sacrifice's body, soaking in the warmth. He never wanted to leave the elder's arms, even when Hanji came to escort him to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, there actually will be some smut at some point. Just hang in there - probably the next chapter.


	8. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two pairs, one who risked losing each other, the other close to reaching their fullest bond. Yet neither them nor any of those who surrounded them ever dreamed of the danger lurking within their midst, the shadows that drew closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm not even gonna apologize. I know I keep saying that it's gonna be sooner and all that, but to be honest, I really hadn't felt like writing. Short version is that I had a relapse of an old problem (one my doctors thought I'd gotten over, so I've not been on meds for it since I was a kid), and my grandmother is in the hospital close to death - they're not expecting her to make it through the week. So you can see why I've not felt up to working on this too much.
> 
> However, I've got this chapter done now, and hey, there's sexy times between Jean and Armin...bet you guys figured that out, though - the rating just went up, after all. Anyway, enough jabber from me. Here's the long awaited update.

The switch had been relatively simple. Hanji had hidden the necessary accessories in Eren's dresser the night before, then had Jean go downstairs to deliver Eren his breakfast that morning, giving them time to trade places. When the carriages arrived, Jean was already in disguise, Eren hidden away until the Military Police was gone. It'd be difficult to sneak the rest of the legion into Sina without the police noticing them...but they had to make this work. Annie needed to be caught.

Levi, however, was nervous. If this was to work, then they needed to catch her before they arrived at the courthouse. It was the only way they wouldn't be found out. Not to mention, he'd had a feeling that something would go wrong...it had stuck with him ever since he woke up that morning. One could call him paranoid right now, but his fighter was at risk. Eren was at risk. If it came down to it, he would be fighting Annie again, and the last time that happened he was more or less eaten.

Hiding his concerns behind his normal, steely facade, he pulled his jacket tighter around him. Or, rather, one of Erwin's old ones. It was still a bit to large on him, but his had been damaged after a visit to some rich noble turned sour. Apparently, his ears appealed to the bastard too much. Fighting him off resulted in some rips in his clothes (and a rather large sum of money in “apology,” as a very angry commander and a few witnesses could be quite persuasive). Levi hadn't had the chance or interest in replacing them, intent on never going to another one of these “fundraisers” again after that incident.

Maybe after he lost his ears to Eren...but never before that. He was not going to have a repeat experience.

Glancing out at the passing scenery, he silently hoped that things were going well for the others...for Eren.

* * *

 

Armin had somehow managed to convince Annie into leading them through Stohess. Eren expressed his concerns over Jean taking his place, claiming that the other had a horse face and would be found out for sure. The blond bit his lip to keep from retaliating, not sure if Eren was even aware that he was bound to Jean or not. At least they'd be able to keep going for now...he'd hopefully see Jean again after this. He'd wanted so badly to keep going last night, the teen's hands bringing so many feelings to him he'd never really experienced before. But he knew that Annie might be suspicious if he was earless during this operation. Perhaps...after this was over...

He stopped that train of thought as he caught sight of the tunnel. He, Eren, and Mikasa all quickly entered, but turned around when they saw that Annie hadn't. “Annie, come on! We need to get going before they notice Eren's gone.” the blond said.

“...sorry, but this is as far as I go.” she responded, voice as cold as ever, her own ears flat.

“Please, come with us!” Armin pleaded, eyes wide. Oh, he hoped so badly that she hadn't caught on...

She looked away for a moment, shoulders shaking as she started chuckling before breaking out into full blown laughter. “Armin...” Annie said as she began to calm down, “...I'm glad I could be a good person to you.” Legion members in disguise began leaping out to restrain her, expecting her to transform, but Armin saw the ring on her finger, saw the tiny blade flip out. He tried to call out a warning to the others, but it was too late – she pricked her thumb, and in a flash, shifted, knocking them all aside. Mikasa quickly dragged him and Eren underground, hoping to keep them from Annie's view – she would no doubt try to either capture or kill Eren.

Pulling Eren close to her, Mikasa glared up at the dank ceiling of the tunnel. “...Eren. You're going to have to transform and fight her.”

Green eyes went wide as he whipped his head around to stare at his sister. “I-I can't do that!! That's...this is _Annie_ we're talking about!!”

Armin shook his head. “Eren, she killed nearly the whole legion! She's out to kill _you_! We have to stop her!”

The brunette looked at his best friend before nodding, sinking his teeth into his hand. After not shifting, he did it again, only to fail. “...you're reluctant to do this because you still think of her as your friend...” Mikasa said softly, hardly any emotion in her tone. A sudden crash through the roof shook them, the foot of Annie's titan visible amongst the wreckage before it pulled up.

“She...She's trying to crush us!” Armin breathed out.

“Not if I can help it.” Mikasa snarled, ears laying back and tail lashing as she ran out to confront the other, despite the pair's protests. Annie stomped down again, closer this time, too close for comfort. Gulping, Armin decided to also go out, to try and distract Annie from trying to kill Eren. He could only hope it worked.

* * *

 

They'd been stopped by Nile's unit, said commander accusing Erwin of treason. Levi had stepped out of the carriage at this point, careful of his injured ankle. The sudden shaking of the ground alerted them to the fact that something had gone horribly wrong with their plan, and the roar of a titan confirmed it – Annie had shifted. Many of the MP soldiers began to panic, as a titan shouldn't be within the innermost wall.

It was at this point that Jean flew out, ripping of his disguise and demanding that he be allowed to join the fight. Erwin granted it, and the teen quickly geared up, taking to the air in a flash, heading towards where the sound had come from. Nile began to demand answers at this point.

Instead, Erwin began to give him the details of the operation, telling him that he would be in charge since they were taking him into custody. The other began to freak out, not knowing what to do – he'd never led a fight against a titan.

But Levi could barely focus on their argument. He could feel something was wrong with Eren, with his fighter. He was hurt. He was _dying_. Why wasn't he shifting? If he was so badly injured, he could turn and all those wounds would heal almost instantly. Was it because of who the Female Titan was? That he was just reluctant to shift given the fact they'd been friends? Even if that was the case, his life was in danger...and Levi couldn't even go to him right now. He was stuck with these soldiers.

Closing his eyes, the dark-haired man prayed he wouldn't lose his young counterpart. He just couldn't...

* * *

 

Jean landed next to Armin, seeing him trembling as he talked to somebody buried in some wreckage. He hadn't realized it was Eren until he looked down.

The shifter looked almost dead, a wooden beam straight through his body, just below his heart. Blood had pooled beneath him, and he looked far too pale compared to his normal tan. Jean wasn't sure of what he said, but he figured it was somewhere along the lines of what he'd said the same day that he and the others joined the legion. Armin pulled him back, fixing him with a look. “...Eren...” he heard the blond whisper, voice saddened. “...do you remember what I said about the commander? That he was willing to sacrifice his own humanity to save the rest?” He left it at that, pulling Jean away to join the fight.

“...will that be enough? Do you think that actually got through to him?” Jean asked softly as they went back to the roofs.

Armin took in a breath, keeping his gaze straight ahead. “...I had said that to him one time when he was doubting his own decisions. Something similar when he was doubting himself after learning what he is.” Ears drooping a bit as a reflection to his inner turmoil, the smaller teen sighed. “...if that doesn't get him up, then nothing will. I never found out who his name is or was. If they're still alive, then maybe... _maybe_ them...”

Jean nodded in understanding. “...but there's the chance they died on the expedition...”

“Yes...so we just have to hope my words are enough.”

Eren, behind them, was thinking over his friend's words. It was true – so many in the military gave up their own humanity to protect what was left of it within the walls...Erwin was one of them. Despite how cordial he may be towards his comrades, how protective he could be of those he allowed close to him...the commander was willing to sacrifice his own life if it meant the mission would succeed. Levi, to an extent, was the same. He might seem cold and callous to the rest, but he cared in his own ways.

...Levi...

...what would the elder think of him if he saw him like this, Eren wondered. Stabbed through the chest and unable to shift. Would he be ashamed to be bound to such a useless person?

No...because Levi wasn't that kind of person. The four who made up his squad had proven that much. Oluo, especially, given that the man made more efforts to intimidate Eren some days than focus on what he was doing. The results ended in various injuries, ranging from bitten tongue to stubbed toes.

Yet Levi had never once gotten angry or called any of them worthless. He knew them, knew their “quirks,” and though he finally called Oluo down when one of his escapades almost ended up giving him a twisted ankle, he never once had to actually interfere.

Was Annie the same? Or had she...just given up on her humanity? Was that why she'd been able to kill everybody without a problem? And Marco...Marco had been so _kind_ to her, too...kind to everyone. Was she able to murder him because of that?

His eyes widened. She had, hadn't she? She had _murdered_ all these people...could do so again, now that she was inside the wall, where more casualties could occur...and Levi...

...Levi wasn't armed. He was restricted from using the gear until his ankle healed. Which meant Annie could easily take him out, too.

Rage flaring in his eyes, he shifted.

* * *

 

Levi's ears twitched slightly when he heard the familiar roar of Eren's titan, the feeling from before fading. He turned his head just enough to be able to see the soldiers – if one could call those of the Military Police soldiers – nearby crying out that a second titan had appeared, and how this shouldn't be happening, that one was enough to deal with. He wanted to insult them, call them cowards, but they needed these poor bastards' help. Calling them out on their faults could wait for another day.

Silvery orbs glanced over to see a building toppling in the distance. What it was, he didn't know – it was too far to tell. All he saw was the cloud of dust that came with collapsing stone. He wished he knew more, though. Which titan caused it, and how? If it was Eren, was he okay?

Oh, how badly he wanted to join the rest in their pursuit of Annie. To support Eren in his fight. But damn his ankle for grounding him from the use of his gear, for keeping him from being there for his fighter! He honestly didn't care right now if the rest of the world knew who he was bound to. He just wanted to be beside the younger as he fought.

...he hadn't realized that, in his inner turmoil, his tail and ears had given sign to his thoughts. Nor that the two from the incident at the lab were there and had seen.

 

It must have been hours before Annie was even remotely close to being stopped. Everyone present grew worried when she incapacitated Eren, then became quite scared when he went berserk and chased after. The damage he did to the other titan was extreme, more brutal than anything they'd ever seen before. Somehow, Annie managed to escape his grip long enough to begin climbing the wall, but a look of horror crossed what remained of her face when Eren latched on to her legs, rage in his glowing eyes. She attempted to kick him off, but he held fast.

Mikasa took this moment to swing in, slicing the crystalline fingers from one of the blond's hands. Annie turned her attention to the other girl just as she cut through her other hand, causing her to begin falling. Lightly, the dark-haired woman landed on what remained of Annie's hand, brown eyes staring coldly into scared blue. “...you brought this on yourself, Annie...I'm sorry it had to end this way.” she whispered before taking back to the air, returning to the relative safety of the wall.

Both human and titan eyes widened the slightest bit when Mikasa's tail brushed Annie's skin.

Eren was upon her before anything else could be said, however, ripping in to the flesh of her neck to expose the human within. He looked ready to eat her – much like she had done to him in the forest – but paused. Though only he could see it, Annie was crying. A bitter smile crossing her face, she closed her eyes, and blue crystal began to envelope her body. Eren's titan roared in panic as he tried to pull away, unable to because his hands had already fused to Annie's.

_No! I can't...I can't go out like this!!_ He thought, eyes wide within the beast he controlled. The teen gasped when he was suddenly pulled free from the flesh of its neck, landing roughly on the ground mere seconds before the crystal completely formed. Looking up, he saw Levi, equipped with the gear he shouldn't have been using, blades dropped beside him and covered in blood. He was panting, looking just as panicked as Eren had been, but pain was evident, as well. The man must have agitated his injury saving him.

“...don't do that again...you hear me?” Levi whispered, pulling the brunette close to his chest. Eren could only nod, feeling weak from both shifting and losing most of his control.

“...Levi...?”

Silver eyes fixed themselves on him again, worry filling them at how raspy his voice was. “What?”

“...can I just...” He swallowed, trying to wet his throat a bit. “...can I sleep for a bit? I'm so tired...”

Levi let a small smile grace his lips, bringing a hand up to push some of Eren's brown hair from his face. “Rest as long as you need...you deserve it.” The elder looked up as Mikasa ran over, skidding to a halt and kneeling beside them, needing to check over her brother after what had just happened. A glance at Levi told her everything – Eren would be fine. He was alive. He would recover. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she looked fondly down at her now sleeping sibling.

Mikasa then looked up at Levi. Though still not fully accepting of their relationship, she had seen how happy the elder made Eren, and was at least making the effort. “...your ankle. Is it alright after this? As appreciative as I am that you made it in time...”

“...it'll heal. I'll be down a bit longer now, but it's worth it.”

* * *

 

It was nearly three days before Eren finally woke up, Mikasa sitting beside him. She informed him of the situation right away, of how nobody and nothing could get Annie out of the crystal she'd encased herself in. Eren was suddenly very glad he, too, wasn't caught inside.

“...how bad was the damage to Stohess?”

She sighed. “Nothing we can't fix with some work. Many of the legion's already on the job.” A smile came to her face. “The MP's dropped all charges against us, by the way. Our gamble payed off.”

Eren looked up from his food, eyes wide. “So...I won't have to...?”

“No dungeons for you. Or beatings in a courtroom.” They shared a laugh over that. “...if you're wondering where Levi is, Hanji dragged him to another room to rest. He's more or less not slept at all while you've been out. I think they practically had to drug him to knock him out...”

The brunette cringed. “He's not gonna appreciate that when he wakes up...”

“Of course not. But he needs to recover just as much as you do. That injury will keep him from fighting for a while if he isn't careful, you being his partner or not.” Mikasa sighed. “...I may not like him, but I'm only going to say this once – the two of you are almost perfect for each other. Stubborn as hell when it comes to what you want.”

“H-Hey!!”

* * *

 

Armin sighed, stretching out and popping his back. Though grateful for the room given to him while the legion was in Stohess, the bed was incredibly uncomfortable. Not to mention, all the work they'd been doing trying to fix all the damaged buildings...he was not made for carrying heavy loads...

“Sore?” he heard Jean ask as arms wrapped around his waist, chin resting lightly on his shoulder.

Armin nodded, relaxing into the other teen's body. “I hate that kind of work...I'm really not cut out for it.” Sighing again, he smiled. “At least Eren woke up today. That's a good thing.”

“Yeah...everyone was beginning to worry that he wouldn't.” Pulling away from the blond, Jean ran a hand through his ash-brown hair. “Still kinda find it hard to believe that it's the _corporal_ of all people he's bonded to...”

“Better him than somebody who hates his guts because of his titan, right?”

“...I suppose...but the whole rank thing's gotta be getting in the way sometimes...not to mention people'd probably frown about their ages.”

The blond hummed in agreement. “That's probably why none of us knew about it...but I don't think the corporal cared about that. I mean, I can only speak for myself when I say that losing you would probably be really hard – being bonded to you is...it's almost like we're two parts of the same person, as weird as it sounds. So it probably scared him that he was so close to losing Eren...” Armin bit his lip, ears falling forward a bit. “...he...he almost died, anyway, though...you...you saw him there...after that beam had stabbed through him...”

Brow furrowing, Jean turned the smaller teen around to face him. “You were there, too...Annie almost crushed you, too...”

Armin looked away. “...yes...but...I left Eren there...I feel like I...I could've _done_ something! Maybe kept that from happening!”

Blue eyes went wide when lips crashed down on his in a demanding kiss. He didn't know how to respond. Slowly, Jean pulled away, eyes fiery. “...it's _not_ your fault, Armin. There was no way to know she'd manage to hit him. And you helped him in the end – he wouldn't have shifted if you hadn't been there to get through to him.”

A shy smile came to the blond's face. “...you're right...I...I shouldn't be beating myself up over this...” He sighed. “...I just always do.”

“I'm aware.” Reaching up, the brunette scratched behind an ear. “You don't need to, though.”

Armin blushed lightly as he pressed up into the soft touch, remembering his thoughts from before. Was he actually ready to take that step? He was so nervous to even think about it, to be honest...he'd grown so used to having his ears and tail, and how he would lose them...it was a bit frightening. Sure, he knew the basics, but even then, it was hard to predict exactly what would happen. And he'd overheard Bertholdt and Reiner by accident one night (though, to be fair, doing it in one of the old storage sheds was risky in the first place). Bertholdt had sounded like he was in pain for a while there...so...did that mean if he and Jean had sex, it would hurt him, too? Jean was physically larger than him, as well...that could easily mean that...well...he was large _there_ , too. Oh God, he was probably as red as Mikasa's scarf right now...he vaguely heard the other asking if he was alright, and he nodded, hiding in Jean's chest to try and keep him from seeing just how bright his face really was. Gulping, Armin squeezed his eyes shut, making his decision. “J-Jean...? Does...Did it hurt when you...”

Amber eyes went wide when he realized what Armin was asking. He looked down at the blushing blond, seeing blue eyes peering up at him from beneath long bangs. Those golden ears were twitching nervously, tail fluffed out ever so slightly. “...that...that would've been...a question for Marco.” he eventually answered. “...not like he would've said anything, anyways. He was always more concerned about others.”

“Yeah...” Armin murmured, turning his gaze away again. He was beginning to rethink this. “...I...I know we're paired, but...I...a-as much as I want this, I'm not sure I can...I mean, I-I'll not be like Marco was...and you...you'd probably want somebody more experienced, anyway...”

“I don't _expect_ you to be him, Armin.” Jean whispered softly. “I don't want somebody else, either. But...” He sighed, bringing their foreheads together. “...promise me that you really want to do this. You're already stuck with one of the biggest assholes in the legion...so just...promise me that this isn't because of what happened, that you actually want this.”

Biting the inside of his cheek, Armin realized Jean was giving him the chance to back out. He was giving him a chance to make sure he was completely ready. Blush still in place, the smaller teen nodded, unable to find the correct words for once in his life. He squeaked when he was picked up, arms and tail wrapping around the brunette as he clung to him in shock. Jean chuckled quietly, placing soothing kisses into blond hair as he carried his little fighter to one of their beds, laying him down ever so gently before sliding beside him. “Relax...I promise, if you want to stop at any minute, I will.” Armin nodded slowly, wrapping his arms around his sacrifice's neck and leaning up for a chaste kiss. He figured that, if they maybe started with something familiar, he wouldn't be as nervous when they began to go further. It would make sense, after all – people tended to be more comfortable in familiar surroundings than in unknown territory, so wouldn't the same concept apply to this situation, too? Dammit, he was overthinking, again. He needed to stop that right now. This was not the time to be analyzing every single thing, he was about to lose his ears. Focus on that. Focus on the now. It was like a battle – think to much, you lose focus of the surroundings. Armin found himself being pulled back to the present by a light nip to his ear. “You're thinking too much, again.” Jean laughed out, smiling and stroking the blond's pale cheek with his thumb. “One thing I can tell you about this: it's better to just _not_ think about it, to just...kinda go with it? Do what feels right to you, is what I guess I'm saying.”

Armin's brow furrowed in confusion, ears twitching as he processed the information given. “So just...act naturally? Follow my instincts instead of what books or people have told me?”

“You've actually _read_ stuff about this?” Jean questioned, sounding a bit surprised.

“...a-after we bonded, well...I-I mean, I w-wasn't sure _how_ we'd do this, s-so...u-um...I found a book in a corner of the library, it was kinda old and didn't look like it'd been read in ages...a-and, well, you hear a lot of things in the barracks, anyway, b-but...” He covered his face with his hand before his next words, looking away in sheer mortification. “...I overheard Bertholdt and Reiner one day, too...”

“...I'm so sorry...really, I am.” The taller closed his eyes, resting his head on the other teen's chest. “...you're not the only one who's accidentally heard our unit going at it, by the way. Why do you think I haven't been able to look Ymir and Christa in the eyes for about a week now?”

“Oh my God, I do _not_ want to know...especially since we're about to...” Armin grimaced at the thought. “...we aren't talking about our friend's sex lives right before we actually do it ourselves!”

Jean shook his head as he chuckled. “I can agree to that. But you're not as tense now.”

The blond blinked. It was true that he wasn't, and he joined in the light laughter. “You're right...” Shifting a bit on the mattress, he smiled, meeting Jean's brown eyes. “...I think...I think I can do this now...I'm still a bit nervous, but...” He let out a soft, relaxed sigh before continuing. “...I trust you. You're not gonna hurt me.”

“Of course not. I'm not _that_ big of a jerk, no matter what Eren's told you.” Smiling as Armin started laughing again, he leaned down to place another kiss to a pale peach cheek. Slowly, they brought fingers up to start undoing buttons on their shirts, neither wanting to rush things. Blue eyes went wide as more skin was bared to his gaze. Sure, they'd seen each other before (recruits didn't have the luxury of private bathing quarters, so all the guys had seen each other nude at one point or another), but this was the first time he'd gotten to take his time, notice all the little things about Jean's body. How he had a scar on his collarbone that looked like it'd come from one of the duller blades back in their trainee days, and how – despite his tall and lanky appearance – he was rather well built, the muscles of his chest and stomach quite defined. Armin felt inadequate in comparison, barely any muscle on his own frame to be of mention, his whole body still making him look younger than he actually was. He might as well be paper white compared to the healthier tone of the other male's skin, too! But Jean had said that he wanted him...so he couldn't be _that_ bad. Taking a breath, he brought trembling hands up to push the shirt over Jean's shoulders, said teen moving just enough to shrug it off his arms before bringing a hand up to clasp one of Armin's. “Hey...it's okay. Just breathe, alright? Remember what I said earlier?”

Tail twitching against the bed, he nodded. “Do what...what feels natural.” He took another calming breath before placing his hands back on Jean's shoulders, pushing lightly until the other was laying beneath him. “...I...I want to just...can I just touch you for a bit? I mean, it probably sounds weird, but...”

Shaking his head, Jean shifted so that he was completely on his back, resting his arms beneath his head. “Not weird at all. How many times do I need to say it – this is about you and what _you're_ comfortable with.”

Armin glared lightly at him. “...jerk.” He muttered, but smiled anyway as he scooted up to kiss his sacrifice. Sitting up so that most of his weight was on his knees, the blond tentatively brought his hands up to smooth over the skin of Jean's chest. He paused when he felt a hitch in the other teen's breath, noticing that his fingers had just barely touched the brunette's nipples. Ears twitching in his curiosity, Armin touched the right one lightly, stroking the skin around it and marveling in how Jean's breath picked up just the tiniest bit. “...are they...?”

“A-A bit...y-yeah...”

Blushing a light pink at the discovery, the blond leaned down , wondering what would happen if he used his mouth instead of just his fingers. Golden ears perked in surprise at the muffled moan he received...did this really feel that good? His eyes widened when Jean's hip pressed ever so slightly into his, urging him on. Gaining a bit more confidence in himself, Armin moved on down his lover's (it felt so odd to now consider Jean this, to think they were making this step at last) body, kisses butterfly soft and hesitant, hands gentle as they traced the lines of muscle beneath smooth skin. He paused when he reached his sacrifice's pants, looking up and seeking assurance; yes, Jean had said that he could explore, but...was he okay with him going here, too? Smiling, a larger hand reached down to stroke his hair, silently telling the blond that yes, it was alright, he could do this. It was fine. Biting his lip and nodding, the small neko slowly removed the crisp, white pants of the brunette's uniform; furrowing his brow a bit, he decided to take Jean's underwear off, too, sliding them and the trousers down toned legs until he could drop them over the side of the bed.

He gulped a bit and sat back on his knees again as soon as he had, eyes wide. “Y-You're...you're big...” he stammered. “I-Is it...is it r-really going to fit?” Any amount of confidence Armin had previously had just flew out the proverbial window at that moment.

Jean sat up, cupping the back of the fighter's head gently and rubbing the base of a soft ear with his thumb. “Hey...if you want to stop, we can. I won't force you to keep going, not if you don't want to.”

“N-No...I...I want to, I just...” Armin shook his head, forcing his nerves down. “...take it slow?”

Raising an eyebrow, Jean chuckled lightly, pressing a chaste kiss to the blond's lips. “You really thought I wasn't?” Thinking for a moment, he gently pushed Armin onto the bed before getting up, walking to the other side of the room to rummage through his pack. “...c'mon, know it's in here _somewhere_...” he muttered. “There it is!” He stood up and strode quickly back over, holding something in his hand.

Armin looked up incredulously, pausing from where he'd been removing the rest of his clothes. “...seriously? That's for keeping our gear in shape.”

“You'd rather I use spit? Probably not as slick...”

The blond blanched at the thought. “...that stuff's fine. But we're getting better before we ever do this again.”  he muttered as he yanked his pants off the rest of the way, looking away shyly.

Laughing softly, the brunette placed a kiss on his smaller lover's forehead as he uncorked the vial, pouring some of the oil onto his hand and slicking his fingers. “...it might be a bit cold...” he warned as he brought his fingers to Armin's entrance, lightly tracing it to help him get used to something being so close. A pale hand flew up to his mouth to try and stifle his shocked gasp as blue eyes widened in surprise. The soft touches helped, yes, but it was so _strange_ and _new_...he'd never touched himself before, not really interested in doing so. Even as his body slowly relaxed with the gently motions, he couldn't help but shiver as one ever so slowly pressed inside. It didn't really hurt...it was just weird, a bit uncomfortable. He squeezed his eyes closed as he tried to focus more on keeping himself calm instead of the odd feeling below. “...you okay?” Jean asked, stroking Armin's side in an attempt to soothe him.

“Y-Yeah...it's just...weird, is all.” He murmured. “...g-give me a minute.”

“Just tell me when.”

And he did, really. It was probably more like two or three minutes instead of just the one he'd said, but Armin found himself used to the feeling, pressing into it in a sign that Jean could continue. He kept his eyes closed as he focused on his breathing, keeping it steady, keeping himself relaxed. A second eventually joined, sliding just as slowly into his body as the first had. It was a bit harder for Armin to keep his breaths even as he felt the brunette widen his fingers within, stretching him, spreading the oil...was he also searching for something? It seemed like he was...

Blue eyes flew open as a cry escaped pale pink lips when Jean brushed his fingers upwards, touching something within that sent a bolt of pleasure through him. “Wh-Wha...?”

“So I found it...” Jean mused, amber eyes filled with a hint of mischief. “I'm surprised your books didn't mention this. Y'know, your prostate? Feels good, doesn't it?”

Armin nodded, breathless as his lover stroked it again. “Y-Yes...” he mewled, arching his hips. “Ooohhhhh....p-pl-please...”

Smirking the slightest bit, Jean removed his fingers to add some more oil to them before sliding three back in, drawing a moan from the smaller teen; he wanted to make absolutely sure he wouldn't cause Armin pain...at least, unnecessary pain. Hopefully the extra lube would help them. He was getting a little impatient though, the sounds the blond was now making going straight to his dick, making him impossibly hard. He'd promised to go slow...but gods, was it getting difficult.

Clutching at broad shoulders, Armin looked up with hazy eyes, panting, ears twitching wildly and tail flicking against the bed. “J-Jean...! S-Stop...! I...I need you inside...” He took a breath, blushing darker. “...I don't w-wanna come without you.” He whispered, looking away in embarrassment right after.

Nodding, Jean pulled his fingers out and reached for the oil again; he blinked when Armin's hand reached it first. “L-Let me...” the blond muttered, pouring some into his palm before lightly grabbing the brunette's length, stroking it and coating it. “...it's so hard...” he breathed out, sounding awed.

“Y-Yeah...” the taller male sighed, hands clenching in the sheets beside them. It took a bit of will, but he managed to pull Armin's hand away from him after a moment, taking a breath to calm himself. Grasping his erection, he slowly guided himself to the blond's opening, pressing the tip lightly against it but not pushing in just yet. No, instead he took the time to just rub it up and down the slightest bit, smearing some of the precum and once again letting Armin get used to having something down there. “...tell me when you're ready.” he murmured softly, leaning down to nuzzle his lover's jaw. Not even a minute later, he felt Armin nod against the side of his face, letting him know he could go; closing his eyes, Jean moved, pushing until he was inside. He paused halfway when the blond tensed, breath hitching. “Hey, breathe, Armin...” he soothed, bringing a hand up to push some hair from his face. “Try to relax...”

Ears twitching, eyes squeezed shut, Armin attempted to just that. It was hard, though...he felt so _stretched_...it wasn't so much a pain, per se, but an uncomfortable fullness. Was this really going to work? Blinking blue orbs back open, he leaned up to press his lips against Jean's in an attempt to distract himself.

Kissing Armin languidly, Jean waited until the other had completely relaxed once again before moving. A sigh left his lips as soon as he was sheathed entirely in the body beneath him, hips flush against the blond's own. Reaching up, he stroked Armin's cheek, keeping still despite how every instinct in him screamed for him to go, to take the teen beneath him without any thought.

Wrapping arms and tail around the sacrifice, Armin whispered for Jean to move. He was surprised to find himself whimpering when the other pulled out, but he gasped as the brunette thrust back inside, not expecting it to actually feel...well...that _good_! “Aa-aaahn...” he mewled out, lips parted. “J-Jean...a-again...” He gave another mewl as his lover did so, digging his fingers into Jean's shoulders as the sacrifice started a steady rhythm, angling his hips on each thrust the slightest bit as he tried to find the spot from before. Jean grinned when the blond suddenly turned his head to the side, biting the pillow to try and stifle a loud cry of pleasure – he'd found the neko's prostate again, that was for sure. Keeping himself at that position, the brunette continued to move against that spot, listening to the muffled pleas for him to keep going, to keep doing that, that it felt so good.

Bringing his hand up, he gently brought Armin's head up from the pillow, noting the deep flush that was beginning on his face. “Don't hide from me.” Jean said softly, meeting the blond's eyes with his own. “I want to hear you. I want to see you. You're so beautiful...you don't need to shy away from me.” Armin bit his lip, nodding. A hard thrust had him moaning loudly, head falling back.

“Y-Yessss!” he panted, clenching down on the hard length inside him, clutching at the rumpled sheets beneath. “O-Oh...p-please!! More...need – aaaah!!! I need more!” Normally, Armin would've been mortified by how loud he was being, but he was beginning to get lost in everything his body was feeling.

...besides, if any of those who'd happen to be too loud before and they'd overheard were nearby, maybe it was a bit of payback or something that the normally quiet blond was so vocal. Let _them_ be the ones who get mentally scarred this time around!

Breathing a bit heavily himself, Jean reached down to grasp his lover's arousal, stroking as in time with his thrusts as he could. Between the sounds Armin was making and how his already tight passage was now practically _squeezing_ him, he was getting dangerously close. And he really didn't want to come before the blond did; that just wouldn't be fair. He really hoped Armin was just as close as he was...he wasn't sure if he could hold back for much longer. Maybe...?

Leaning down, Jean took a pink nipple into his mouth, sucking and biting lightly; he groaned softly at the high-pitched keen that escaped Armin at the action. The blond squirmed, a warmth pooling in the bottom of his stomach as he neared his end. His nails dug into Jean's back, scrabbling for some way to keep himself grounded against all the sensations he was feeling. He choked back a sob, shutting his eyes, holding back tears of sheer ecstasy as he came closer and closer to the edge. Shaking his head back and forth, he whispered Jean's name over and over, unable to find any other words to express himself at the moment...all he could think about at the moment was the other teen.

Jean came up, panting for breath, taking in the sight of the smaller teen beneath him. Amber eyes darkening, he leaned down, lips ghosting over Armin's cheek. “...come for me.” he growled lowly, giving a firm stroke to the small blond's length.

That did it. Armin _screamed_ as he reached his orgasm, back arching as his body became coated in sticky white. Choking on a moan at how tight the blond became, Jean gave a few more thrusts before he came to his own, burying himself deep as he released with a low groan, collapsing onto his forearms before he could fall onto the teen beneath him. He vaguely heard Armin give a soft mewl as he was filled, probably sensitive after his climax. Jean hadn't even realized his eyes had closed until they blinked open at the feel of slender fingers tangling into his ash-brown hair. Looking up, his eyes widened the slightest bit at what he saw.

Armin's ears were completely gone, having faded sometime during their lovemaking. Neither had even noticed, so caught up in each other that it was the last thing on their minds. Chuckling, he reached up, smoothing his hand over where one had once been. “...they're gone...” Jean whispered, smiling with a mix of sadness. “...gonna miss them, y'know.”

The blond laughed, still a bit blissed out from the whole thing. “You think you are...I'd gotten a bit used to having them around.” He wrapped his arms around the taller male's back, burying his face into Jean's shoulder. “...can we just stay like this for a bit? I don't...I don't feel like moving.”

It was Jean's turn to laugh now. “You're aware I haven't even pulled out yet, right?”

“Don't care. I'm comfy and this feels nice...being close like this.”

“Tch. Who would've thought the genius of the 104th would be lazy as hell after sex?” Jean felt he deserved the smack to the back of his head for that comment, but the disgruntled look on Armin's face was well worth it. “...you're right, though...kinda like being this close to each other.”

They'd just made themselves more comfortable, snuggled together (Jean insisted that he get his cock out of Armin's ass first in case they fell asleep...that would _not_ be something they'd want to wake up to), when yelling outside their room caught their attention. It sounded like somebody was making rounds around to everybody's room, too, shouting something to the ones who answered. When the frantic knocking came to their own, the brunette yanked the covers over them in case whoever it was decided to barge in before responding.

Hanji's voice shouted through, panicked. “I don't care what you're doing, stop it and report to the Commander's office!! Eren's been kidnapped!! We're mobilizing every available soldier now!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...yes, I'm evil. I'm leaving it at a cliffhanger. Why? Because here's something I'd like you readers to do: tell me how YOU'D like this to end! I can make this next (and probably last) chapter incredibly angsty and full of heartwrenching torment, or I can just make it slightly tear-jerking and give it a bit of a happy ending. Yup - it's all your choice, readers. I'm up for either (but if you leave it up to me, it'll probably become the first one).


	9. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite tragedy, they would be together. It might take years, but he would keep his promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...it has a happy ending, I swear. The chapter kinda wrote itself and ended up a huge mess of angst, but it ends happy. (I apologize now - your still beating hearts are about to be ripped from your chests for you to cry upon. I cried myself when I realized just what I'd done.)
> 
> I've marked this as done, but I will probably do an omake chapter to appease all the people asking for Levi/Eren sexytimes (because this chapter didn't have them).
> 
> And there's an OC in this chapter, as well - working on a prequel to this fic that has more on her and the back story surrounding her link to Levi.
> 
> ...okay, let the story continue.

Jean and Armin felt like they'd never gotten up and ready so quickly their entire time in the military, finding something to clean themselves up with before getting back into their clothes and gear in record speed before _running_ to the office the commander had been given during their stay in Stohess. Their friends had stared at them for a moment as they entered, noticing Armin's lack of ears, but quickly returned their attention to Erwin.

There would be time for questions later. Right now, Eren was their priority. A friend in danger was more important than a friend who'd just lost their virginity.

Turning from the window he'd been looking out of, Erwin stared at each recruit in turn before speaking. “I'm sure Hanji already told you as they gathered you that Eren Jaeger was just taken from within the building. A bit of a shock, even to me – Ackerman was with him at the time, and as I'm sure you are all aware, she is one of our best from your graduating class. Even worse, from her report, the attack was carried out by two members of the Military Police... _without_ Commander Dawk's knowledge, no less. Which means we are now facing two rogue members of our own military.”

Nile, who'd been leaning against the wall near the other commander, spoke up now. “From the descriptions given by Ackerman, I can safely assume the two in question are ones who disapprove of Jaeger's very existence. While I, myself, still am not entirely convinced that he will still remain on the side of humanity, even I am not going to sit by and allow this – so far, he has been, and he is still a soldier within our ranks, despite many of the protests against him being so. They are also defying orders from the Generalissimo – we are not to actively take part in the studies, merely keep tabs on them and the progress the Legion is making. Until Leonhart was known to be a shifter as well, he was the only one we could do anything with.” He sighed, shaking his head. “They were already reprimanded after an...incident...over at Legion HQ. From the report your commander gave me, they not only restrained Major Zoe, but inflicted bodily harm to Jaeger upon finding out he was bonded to somebody. It was only upon Erwin's intervention that they stopped.”

“That's bullshit!” Ymir shouted. “Why would they do that just cause he's got a fucking name?!”

Armin thought it over for a moment before it hit him. “...because they see him as a monster...” he said softly, voice trembling as he did. He felt the others looking at him. “Think about it – he becomes the very think we're trying to destroy. It's not too farfetched that some people would...and you all weren't there after Trost, when he was on trial just for being what he is. When his very life was on the line, even though he saved us from a repeat of Shiganshina.” Blue eyes glared at Nile. “You even ordered one of your men to shoot him! Right there, in the courtroom!”

When every single recruit glared at the man, he gulped, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck at the hatred he saw in each pair of eyes. “...at the time, it seemed the best course of action. I'm not trying to defend what I did...but after his outburst, many were afraid he would shift right then and there. Of course, none of us were expecting what Levi did...”

“...and you should know that he's _never_ hated me for it.” came a raspy voice from the doorway.

“Levi! What are you doing here?! You need to be resting!!” Hanji cried out, ears raised as they ran over to support the man, who was clutching on to the frame in an attempt to keep weight off his injury.

Silver eyes glared at the scientist. “You fucking expect me to stay in bed when Eren's in danger?!” he snapped. “I'm not about to lose him again! Not after what happened with Leonhart, and in case you're as fucking crazy as half the military thinks you are, what happened during that goddamned expedition!! I _refuse_ to fucking lose him...” Black ears dropping slightly against his head, he looked away. “...he's all I have...Hanji, _he's all I have_!”

Nile glanced over at Erwin, questions in his eyes that he wanted answered – was Levi the one Eren was bound to? If so, was it possible those two knew? Erwin sighed, looking over at the distraught corporal instead. “...Levi, you know you're in no shape to go on this mission. We'll make sure he returns to you, I swear it.”

The other commander had to ask. “Levi...is the one Eren Jaeger bound to you?”

A defeated sigh left the corporal's lips, and he shut his eyes. He knew he would have to tell them. “...yes. He's my fighter.”

“Who knew this?”

“Erwin, Hanji, my squad, and Ackerman...it's possible Zacharius and Nanaba, as well.”

Mike scoffed from where he sat. “Kinda hard not to realize when your scents started getting all over each other. Not to mention how much closer you two seemed. His performance in the field also started improving quite a bit, and rather suddenly if you ask me...went down after the incident, but he picked back up quicker than most would after something like that. Figured it would've been something along those lines.”

Mikasa – bandaged from the ambush and sitting near one of the windows – looked away in a bit of embarrassment. “...I overheard the two of them talking one day, and it was mentioned in the conversation. At the time, I still despised Corporal Levi for what happened during the trial, and am a bit ashamed at my actions of trying to keep them apart...however, knowing that my brother is happy is more important than my own feelings on the matter.”

Nile took the information in, going over it carefully. “...then it is possible that these two figured it out, as well. They were with me when I intercepted you before the battle a few days ago. If Levi gave any sort of sign that Eren meant more to him than just a subordinate...then it probably gave them incentive to do this. Unfortunately, we have no idea where they could have taken him – Stohess may be damaged, yes, but there are still plenty of places they could hide him and execute some sort of plot.”

Armin once again spoke up. “Sir, if I might make a guess?”

“...go ahead.”

“Most of the larger buildings were destroyed in the fight. From what I've been able to observe during the reconstruction work, there are only a few warehouses within this district. However, they would expect us to go there to look – it would be an obvious choice to go.” He paused, taking a breath. “There's a saying that the best place to hide something is in plain sight. So if they really wanted to keep us off their trail, they'd put him somewhere that they wouldn't expect us to think of. One of the military owned buildings, perhaps, or even somewhere that people are constantly around while rebuilding. Why would they want to put him in a place where he might be stumbled upon, after all? But they're _expecting_ us to go for places that are secluded, out of the way.” Looking at all the officers for a moment, he swallowed, a bit nervous at coming up with all of this on his own so quickly. “I would think that the best course of action would be to send most of the troops to these locations to fool them into thinking we actually _are_ looking there, then keep scouts observing buildings that've had the most people around them recently. We'd be able to see which one they left, and then know exactly which one they're holding Eren in.”

Nile and Erwin looked at each other, both a bit surprised that the recruit had thought that up practically on the fly. It was a rather good plan, one that truthfully made sense. Given that these two would probably show up to the briefing in an attempt to keep their cover, too...if they sent Garrison and Police on the search to the secluded areas, that could keep them from knowing their true course of action. “...alright, we'll go with that.” Erwin announced. “Commander Dawk, do you have any objections to the Military Police being on the side that goes on the snipe hunt?”

“None at all. Convincing Pixis might be a challenge once he's been briefed on it, but I'm sure we'll manage. The Garrison has more troops than either of our branches do, and we'll need all the people we can get for this.”

Erwin nodded. “Then that leaves the Scouting Legion to stake out any potential sites for where these two actually have him. We'll need to be careful not to be seen, but I'm sure you all are aware of this.”

* * *

 

Cold...he was cold. That was the first thing Eren realized as he began to come back to consciousness. Blinking teal eyes open, he attempted to move, only to find he couldn't.

It didn't _seem_ like he was bound...it was more like he was weighed down or something, limbs heavy.

“Heh, like that? Took a higher dose than we thought, but right now, you might as well be completely paralyzed.” a voice from the side chuckled darkly. Eren felt his heart stop for a moment when he recognized it. “Ohhhh, so you remember me? Well, that makes things easier. I'm surprised – wouldn't think freaks like you could do that. But you're apparently human enough to have this...” A fingernail scraped roughly over the name on his chest, and Eren would've winced if he could. “...I'm shocked, though...to think a monster would be Humanity's Strongest's other half...a pity – he could do so much better.”

_No...th-they know?!_ he thought. _H-How?!_

“Of course, maybe you could prove us wrong.” a second voice – the other from that day, Eren realized – said. “I mean, they keep calling _you_ “Humanity's Hope.” Are you really? All you do is become one of those beasts outside the walls.” A laugh, and what sounded like something metal being picked up. “You know...that scientist of yours was supposed to be doing something similar to this. Guess we can't rely on those idiots in the legion to get anything done. I mean, you're a titan, right? Recovering from something like this should be no problem for you.”

The drugs in Eren's system wouldn't even allow him to scream as a blade dug into the flesh of his leg.

* * *

 

Pixis had agreed surprisingly quickly. He remembered Trost quite well, and knew that if it hadn't been for Eren, they might not have made it. Of course, hearing that the plan was made by the same recruit who devised the winning strategy from that day didn't hurt too much, either – the Garrison commander seemed to both lament and respect the blond teen's decision to join the Scouting Legion, knowing that his talents were best spent there, but still a bit in despair that the young genius wasn't in his own branch helping with the tactics there.

“So...me and Nile get to go on the goose chase and lure out these bastards, hmm?” Pixis sighed out before taking a swig from his flask. “...if I might make a suggestion, we should keep a few soldiers at the gates as a precaution. In case they decide to make a run for it.” The tone of voice he used suggested more that it was another way they could keep an eye out for the two in question, while at the same time keeping up the ruse that they had no clue who exactly it was.

“We would need to, anyway. The citizens expect it...a few extra wouldn't hurt, however.”

“I would like to suggest one of my own for the gate nearest the destruction zone. One named Hannes.” Resting his chin on his palm, Pixis pocketed his flask. “...he's from Shiganshina, and was there at the time of the attack. He knew Eren's family well, and from what I know of the story, is the whole reason Eren and Mikasa are alive today. If I'm correct, he also made a promise to their mother before she was killed to keep them safe...so even if I didn't place him, he'd be demanding to be there himself. Any chance to catch the ones who hurt the ones he vowed to protect is something he'd want to take.”

Erwin chuckled softly. “Amazing what a simple promise to a dying friend can inspire in a person...but yes, if he's going to be of more use there, then I see no reason not to have him stationed anywhere else. Nile?”

“Unless he can manage to stay as hidden as your men can, then no.”

The bald man laughed now. “Stealth's never been his strong point. I'll take this to mean we're in agreement, though. So, now we just need to decide how many go where, and where we'll be placing everybody.”

* * *

 

“Che...they're actually searching for him...” one of the two muttered, walking beside his partner towards where they'd left Eren. “As if it'll help – they're going towards those damn warehouses on the outskirts. Like we'd be so obvious.”

“And they're expecting us to run? Not likely. Not when we're having to pick up those idiots slack.”

“Speaking of...” the first trailed off, pushing some of his dark blond hair behind his ear. “How _is_ our little titan? Still bleeding out on the floor?”

The red-head beside him snorted, rolling brown eyes. “Guess those powers of his aren't as useful as they say they are. Blood finally stopped about twenty minutes before we were called for that “mission” to find him. He's probably still unconscious, though.” A look of mock worry crossed his face. “...you don't think cutting off his legs was too much, do you?”

Throwing his arm over the other man's shoulder, the blond laughed. “Think of it this way – at least he won't run if that drug wears off before we get back. Might be able to pull himself across the floor a little ways, but he can't do more than that.”

They both started laughing at that, slipping into the alleyways and heading towards where they had hidden their captive away.

An unknown shadow behind them had overheard everything said, however. “...how dare you...” they whispered, watching the pair slip into an abandoned building before turning and running. “...he may not be human, but he is special to many. And important to an old “friend”...time to pay off that old debt of mine, I suppose.”

* * *

 

Levi refused to stay still, not wanting to be stuck at their assigned building, not wanting to be left behind while everyone else searched for his fighter. He should be out there, too. Gods, he could _feel_ that Eren was in pain! Whatever those two were doing to him, they needed to have it done ten...no, a hundred times over.

Mikasa (still bandaged from the attack, and equally as upset at not being able to go on the search) had stayed behind, and watched in concern as the man paced back and forth, ears alternating between flat against his head and perked for any sign of footsteps outside the room, tail lashing back and forth in agitation. Hanji had wrapped extra bandages around Levi's foot and placed a brace on it, having guessed this would happen and hoping to keep him from making it too much worse, but... “...Sir, you need to sit down.”

“How _can_ I?!” he snapped, pausing to glare at her. “I should be out there looking for him!”

“You think I want to be here?!” she snarled, not caring that this was her superior officer and she could easily get in trouble for raising her voice like this. “This is my _brother_ who's out there, having God knows what done to him! I _swore_ to our mother before she died that I would protect him! How do you think I feel, knowing that I couldn't even do that, couldn't even live up to the last promise I made to the woman who took me in and cared for me as her own?!” Her own eyes closed as she tried to hold back tears. “...I can't do anything...I almost lost him in Trost...now I could lose him again, and I can't do anything to try and stop it.”

Levi was silent as he bit his lip. He felt selfish after he heard what the girl before him said; he'd only been focusing on what he was feeling, forgetting entirely that she'd known Eren so much longer, had ties to the brunette as well, so different from his own yet so similar at the same time. Defeated, he slumped onto the small couch in the room, hiding his face in his hands as his black ears fell. “...you're right...” he whispered. “...I'm sorry...I just...I can _feel_ his pain through our link...and there's nothing I can do to help him, nothing I can do to comfort him. He's given me so much...I've never felt anything like I have for him before – it's been so frightening at times, how easily he makes me _lose_ what control I've built up over the years over my emotions.” Shaking his head, he looked up at Mikasa. “...I've never been as...happy...though. Not even when I once had friends I trusted more than I did Erwin. I once thought that was impossible, me ever being this way...but he did it.”

She smiled, sitting next to him. “He's known for achieving some pretty interesting things...but I think you're aware of that, given that I've never let you live the court incident down.”

The man chuckled dryly. “You won't until I die, more than likely.”

“And I'll then be going to your grave and telling your headstone that you better not be beating people up in the afterlife.” Sighing, she reached up and unwound some of her scarf, wrapping part of it around Levi's neck. “...he gave this to me...after he rescued me when we were children.” Dark gray met silver as she spoke. “...it's been a comfort to me when things get tough. So...”

Letting the smallest of smiles come to his face, Levi pulled the red fabric closer around him. “...thank you.”

* * *

 

Eren felt so tired, so weak. Why were these men torturing him like this? What did they hope to gain by doing this to him?

He hurt...his legs were gone. He'd lost so much blood, even if his abilities worked overtime to keep alive in spite of that...they'd been slowed from the drugs in his system, though, having been trying to purge those already. He could move some now, but...what was the point? He wouldn't be able to get away, not now. Those men had left an hour or so ago, some kind of military function being called regarding his capture, but he had no doubt they'd be back any moment now, ready to inflict more of this torture to him.

...at least the bleeding from before has stopped...but there was so much pooled beneath him...would they care? No...probably not. They saw him as something to be killed, something to toy with before ending his life. Feeling tears fall from his eyes, he stared up at the ceiling, unable to do much else in his current state...

_Please...please, somebody find me..._ Eren thought sadly, even as he heard the pair returning.

“Well, well, well...looks like he's still alive.” one of them sneered, walking over before kneeling down. “Awww, come look at this! He's _crying_! Looks like our little monster has some fucking emotions, after all!”

“No shit? That's a surprise.” the other said, laughing as he did. “Well...looks like we can't test with your legs again. Guess you don't have as good a chance as normal titans do, huh? But don't worry...there's plenty more we can use.” His eyes trailed down at the sign of movement from Eren's fingers. “...sooooo, those are wearing off..this should be even more fun, then. Bet you scream nice and pretty, too.”

“N-No...d-don't...” His voice was so raspy from where he'd been paralyzed, and it barely came out as a whisper as his throat was still tight. “Don't d-do this...”

The blond beside him howled in laughter. “Begging for your life?! That's a good one!!” He grabbed Eren, flipping him over roughly. “Don't worry...we don't wanna kill you just yet. But if you don't die from all this before we're through, then we're at least gonna make sure that shrimp of a corporal'll want nothing to do with you after we're through.” He smirked when the teen's green eyes widened in fright. “Pfft, don't think either of us are interested in fucking a little freak like you. But there are other ways of removing your tail if we feel like it.” Leaning down, the blond whispered the next part. “If you're a good boy for us and scream, we might not.”

Eren was about to try and beg them not to again when a loud sob left his throat, a sharp blade digging deep into his back. He did scream when it was yanked out from under his skin, tears streaming down his face. Silently, he prayed for somebody, anybody, to find him before it was too late.

* * *

 

“What do you mean nobody's seen them since the briefing?!” Mikasa shouted, Levi barely holding her back from launching herself at Erwin. The commander had come to give them an update on the situation, despite that the news was not good in the slightest.

He sighed. “Exactly that. They've disappeared. Not even our scouts have spotted them. They're completely off the grid. We can only guess that they're in another area or...”

“Or?!” the girl snarled.

Levi realized what Erwin was reluctant to say. “...they may have hidden him in the Underground. That's what you're thinking.”

“It's now an unfortunate possibility.” he replied, shaking his head. “There are plenty of abandoned buildings in there, not to mention it'd be easy for them to pay off anybody who might here questionable noises. You of all people should know just how far even a little gold will go.”

The black-eared male growled, all _too_ aware of that fact. He'd seen people throw themselves at the occasional patrol that came through, offering their bodies just for the chance at a night in a warm bed or the money to afford decent food for once. Hell, he'd seen one guy stupid enough to try and mug a Garrison soldier who'd been sent nearby to inspect a damaged building, only to be struck down when he resisted arrest. The people there were desperate most times, and the ones who could actually make a life for themselves were both respected and feared. His reputation wasn't one he was proud of, but it kept him alive.

Shouting from outside drew the trio's attention, and Mike and Nanaba opened the door, the former having a person held in front of him, arms clasped tightly behind their back, their features hid beneath a dark brown cloak. “We found her trying to sneak in.” Nanaba said simply, face expressionless. “She claims to know the corporal, and wanted to speak to him. At the current time, the only proof we have of this is Mike – he claims that he can't smell a lie on her.”

“...that's fucking disgusting, you know...so rude, sniffing people you don't even fucking know.” the woman muttered. Levi's eyes widened when he heard the voice. He'd recognize it anywhere. This woman was somebody he knew...well, knew _of_ , was a better choice of words (for she went by too many names), from his days in the Underground.

“...Kara?” he asked softly, ears perked up curiously.

“Heh...nice to know you still remember me.” She shook her head a bit, letting her hood fall off to reveal her face. Pale green eyes stood in stark contrast to her dark brown hair, and she had a dangerous look to her expression. “I felt it was about time to pay back that debt I owed you. Overheard something rather interesting. You were bonded not long ago, yes?”

Levi looked miffed. “...you've been keeping tabs on me?”

“What'd you expect? You were one of my best customers in the information trade. And you _know_ I have some of the best connections out there to Sina's finest.” She grinned ferally. “...but I'm here on business. With all these soldiers crawling about, I decided to do some work of my own for once that...didn't involve feminine charms and a bit of vine. Must say, didn't take you for the type to bind to younger men, but this one...I've seen him – rather cute, interesting powers...if he wasn't yours, I'd want him for myself.”

“Get to the point already, Kara!” Levi snapped.

She rolled her eyes. “Typical...never let me have my fun...” Yanking her arms free (much to Mike's surprise, as he'd had a pretty strong grip on her), she sauntered over to the desk, perching herself on it. “Stayed hidden when all the military gathered and said your boy got himself captured. A shame, really. But what was most surprising for me was when a pair went off on their own towards the Underground...that was odd, considering the commanders (she glanced over at Erwin, an appraising look in her eyes) said nothing about that being one of the locations involved...so I followed. They were talking about how you all must be idiots for thinking those warehouses were where they'd be keeping them – and I have to agree, unless that in itself is a diversion – and for thinking that they'd try to run. Said something along the lines of how they'd have to pick up the Scouting Legion's slack, anyway...one of them made a comment of whether or not he'd bled out by that point or not.”

“Bl-Bled out?!” Mikasa screeched.

Kara shrugged. “If I recall correctly, they cut off his legs.”

She had said it so nonchalantly that one would think it was a normal conversation about the weather, instead of somebody's life hanging in the balance.

“...anyway, I can point out what building it is. They were idiots – it's in that old area where the fire went through a few years back. Goddamn arsonist...” She grinned at Levi. “Free of charge this time. As I said, repaying my debt. You did save me from that bastard who thought he could steal my secrets.”

Erwin spoke this time. “Just show us where they're at. If they're truly torturing Eren...we need to hurry.”

* * *

 

“...aaaand here we go. It's two down, one with the sign dangling from it...any closer, they might hear us.” Kara crossed her arms. “That used to be an old shop for the black market. Fire ravaged it pretty bad, as it mostly sold food and fuel. Idiot who ran it decided his merchandise was more important than his life and got caught in the blaze...not sure if anybody ever got his corpse out of there or not. Actually, I don't think we ever _found_ it, to be honest. Might be buried under some of the stuff we couldn't move. So if it reeks of flesh, just ignore it. The kid's probably in the basement.” She pulled her hood back just a bit, and looked over at Levi, a glint in her eyes. “...you know, my offer still stands should you ever want to take me up on it...”

He scoffed, tail lashing as his ears fell back in annoyance. “I'll pass, thank you. I think I told you once that I'd rather throw myself down an abberant's mouth than sleep with you.”

Kara chuckled, pulling her hood back up. “Aaahh, suit yourself. Though I guess now you've got a better reason then just stubbornness...” She smiled at him, a genuine smile this time. “...this is unlike me, but I hope you get him back, Levi. Not everybody finds the one they're meant for...”

Levi looked over at her in shock, but she'd already disappeared into the shadows. “...she's a strange one, that's for sure...somebody we owe now, but strange.” he heard Erwin say. He nodded before returning his gaze down the alley. “...anyway, we need to go. Who knows what they've done to him by now. Nile, I'll be leaving their punishment in your han--”

“They are now considered traitors. It's already been decided by Darius that they're to be executed for this.”

The blond sighed. “...then you and the two with you will be taking them in. Hanji, Nanaba, I want for you to be in charge of Eren's treatment – we don't know what state he's going to be in, and the two of you have the most knowledge regarding medical care.” The pair saluted, and he turned his eyes to the rest. “Levi, Mike, you're with me. We'll be the ones going down first. Those two will more than likely attempt to attack either us or Eren upon our arrival...everyone, make sure your weapons are ready before we go in. If we can't apprehend them, then the orders are shoot to kill.”

“...I hope you realize that I am carrying a fucking knife, and if they even try to touch Eren before any of you can pull a trigger, I'll be slitting their throats before you can fucking blink...”

Erwin shook his head at Levi's words. “Noted. But please try to refrain – I'd rather not have to report you for extreme violence.”

Mikasa snorted. “Extreme my ass. If he doesn't get there first, I will. They've hurt somebody close to us, they're not going to get away with it.”

The group whipped around. “Ackerman, you were told to stay at HQ!”

“You expected me to stay back now that we know where my brother is? I've been keeping a promise to protect him for years now. Not about to stop just because I've got a few cuts from some damn glass.”

Massaging his temples, Erwin sighed again. “...it seems like you've also come prepared...” he said, seeing the rifle strapped to her back. “...very well, you'll be in my group. But I expect you to be extra careful, recruit! That _is_ an order I do not want you to defy!”

“Of course, sir.”

* * *

 

He was so numb...how much had he bled so far? How many slices to his body had they made? He couldn't see well anymore, either...his vision was so blurry...he felt so weak...they'd at least stopped for now, but when would they start again? How much more would they do to him?

Tears slid from the corners of his eyes once again, stinging the slashes on his face when they made contact. He wanted to see his friends one more time...he wanted to see _Levi_ one more time...he knew he wouldn't make it – he couldn't regenerate fast enough, not without shifting. But he couldn't move in this state, could barely even speak, his throat so sore and dry from screaming in pain. He was going to die here, in a pool of his own blood, never having seen the people he care about again.

A brown ear twitched slightly at the sound of shouting...the other had gouges in its edge, couldn't move at all. Was somebody coming? Had somebody found him? The two ran out of the dank room he was in, and the commotion upstairs continued. He heard gunshots after a little while, and knew it was over. He didn't know which side had won, but he hoped it was the one of his rescuers. He hoped Levi was with them...

“...he's down here!!” Hanji... “Oh...Oh my God...what have they _done_ to him...?”

“Let me see him!!” That was Mikasa...no...don't let her see...

“No!! Keep her out of here!! Keep Levi out of here!! Nanaba, get in here, STAT!! Nile, you and your men, too!! We need all the help we can get!!”

Footsteps ran towards him, and his eyes blearily met the scientist's as she set down a large medical kit beside her. He heard retching from a little ways away, presumably one of the others they'd called in. Eren didn't blame them... “Eren...we're going to save you...” they said shakily, opening the box and passing out supplies to the gathered people, giving orders to them quickly.

...hours passed, and nothing they did seemed to help. He continued to get weaker and weaker in their hands. Even the serum Hanji had developed using some of Eren's blood samples seemed to do nothing to help speed his abilities. The damage was too severe...

Tears welling in their brown eyes, she looked up to Nile, motioning with her head to go get the ones still upstairs. Levi and Mikasa...they would need to say their goodbyes...there was nothing they could do now. Looking away sadly, he nodded before getting up, walking up to get them. They were down in seconds, freezing at the sight before running right over. The others moved to the side, giving them room.

Levi cradled Eren in his arms, eyes wide and frantic as he looked over his young partner. “N-No...Eren you...how could they?”

Mikasa clasped her brother's hand, bringing it to her face and resting her cheek against it. “...you can't do this...you can't leave us.”

His teal eyes were dark and hazy as he glanced up at them. “...'m s-sorry...” he whispered, forcing himself to speak. “...d-don't wanna...go...” Tears began to fall down his face once again, and Levi wiped them away with his sleeve. “I...tried to survive...really did.” He looked at Mikasa first. “...take Armin to see the ocean...? I still want you to...”

“Of course...! We'll go see the ocean...the fields of sand...everything we read in that book as children...” she whispered, smiling for him despite how hard it was to do so.

He smiled himself before turning to Levi. “...I...I love you, Levi...so, so much...”

“I know...I love you, too...I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you...”

Eren gave a laugh, causing his to cough. It brought blood to his lips. “...think we'll meet again...in the next life?”

Swallowing back his own tears, Levi nodded. “...of course. I'm sure of it. How could we not – we're bound to each other...” he said softly, tracing his hand gently over Eren's chest, over his name. Unable to keep from crying any longer, he leaned down and placed a kiss upon bloody lips, his tears mixing with the ones upon paling cheeks. “...Eren...I swear I'll find you...” he whispered into the kiss, tail twining with Eren's one final time.

Levi's heart wrenching sobs as Eren faded in his arms echoed through the damp, cold basement. He felt his bond go with the teen as the heart beneath his palm beat for its last time.

* * *

 

_~~~~4000 years in the future~~~~_

A black-eared man in his late-twenties walked through the halls of the university he'd recently accepted a position at. Granted, while teaching literature wasn't difficult for him, it was a pain in the ass given that most of the students thought that the class would be a fucking breeze.

Nope, not the case. Levi Rivaille refused to let any student who decided to take his class slide through on the lowest grade needed, and he made damn sure they knew that first day. If they felt his class would be “too tough” or that his attitude was shit, they could just leave. Not like he cared. Though he was quite surprised to find most of the recruits from the past enrolled...scratch that, he wasn't surprised at all that one Armin Arlert was. That kid had read every fucking book they had at HQ back then.

It'd amazed him as a child when he started having some flashbacks of his previous life. He kept a private diary of each one, hiding it from his parents lest they begin to think he was going crazy. Each time he met one of the people he once knew, the memories came entirely back for them. Erwin was the first, having transferred to his elementary school in the third grade. Hanji, Mike, and Nanaba were in high school with them (Hanji as obnoxious as ever...he wished he could kick them without getting into trouble some days). Everyone else was met in college, and he nearly _cried_ when he found his old squad, the painful memory of their death coming to him.

But there was one thing that had haunted him for years. He couldn't see the face, or even really make out the features of this person, but those bright emerald eyes...they made him feel safe whenever he saw them in his dreams, made his heart flutter when he thought about this person in his waking hours. Levi could remember the sound of this person's laugh, and vaguely felt as though they had been partners, had been bonded as sacrifice and fighter.

Sighing, ears twitching slightly as he shook his head to clear his thoughts, he continued the trek to his office. Why they'd given him one in the art hall was beyond him, as he taught language. Perhaps it was the only one free at the current time? Whatever...he didn't have anymore classes for the day, and he had quizzes to grade (though he was expecting about half of them to be F's; he saw many of the students either half-assing the answers just to get out of the room because it was a Friday or hurrying at the end because they had trouble for the whole two hours from more than likely not doing the assigned reading...Armin would probably be the only A+ once again, correct answers and the extra credit essay done to perfection just like always).

Having been lost in his thoughts, he didn't see the young man running through the same hallway until it was too late, and they crashed into each other, knocking each other down. Both landed on their tails, the younger giving a yelp as he landed on his own. Levi looked up, about to give him a lecture about how running through the hallways would almost _always_ result in this (and how it was against policy, anyways), but his words died in his throat as he saw the figure before him.

The young man was probably late teens to early twenties, shoulder length hair chestnut in color and pulled up with a clip to keep it out of the way, even though some of it fell down the side of his face despite his efforts. Tanned hands lightly massaged his sore tail from where he'd landed on it, and brown ears drooped as he muttered something about how he was always so clumsy, and how he hated that thing because it was always in the fucking way. But what was most startling was his eyes...they were the same shade of green as the ones that had haunted Levi for ages, framed by thin, wire glasses. As he took in the younger, everything came back to him at once: meeting the boy as he was chained up in a dungeon cell, how he was able to turn into the very monsters they fought, the night their bond formed, the expedition he was almost lost during, the fight against Annie...and then his death. His horrible death in Levi's arms, and their promise to meet again in their next life. Voice shaky and eyes wide, he whispered one word: “E-Eren...?”

The brunette looked up in surprise for a moment before his own eyes widened in shock, his breathing picking up. “Y-You...Y-You're...” He swallowed, tongue darting out to wet his lips, a nervous habit he had. “...I...I can't believe it...” Eren quickly picked up the things he dropped, putting them aside in a neat stack before leaning forward on his hands and knees...save for one hand, bringing it up to hesitantly touch Levi's face.

The familiar pain from long ago seared across their chests. They kept their eyes locked together, despite wanting to look away, wanting to cringe as the feeling of their names appearing hurt them once again. Just as hesitant as Eren, Levi reached up to cup the brunette's cheek, stroking the skin beneath his eye with his thumb. “...I've found you at last...” he whispered, taking a deep breath after. “...I finally got to keep that promise...”

Eren gave a tear filled smile as he nodded, pressing into Levi's warm palm.

“...may I ask why you were running, though?”

Ears raising in alarm, the brunette pulled back. “Shiiiiit!!! Oh man, I'm already late!!” He flushed in shame at that admission. “Today's Marco's birthday, and we're all throwing a surprise party for him!! You remember Sasha, right?? She's doing all the food – she's majoring in culinary arts, and holy shit, she's _amazing_. I had to stay a bit late, though – Pe...I mean, Ms. Ral wanted to speak to me about putting some of my art up in an exhibit she's doing at the local museum, so...actually, she's wanting to put a _lot_ of my pieces in it...she asked if I could come in on some of my off days to work on a few extra. A-Anyway, I reeeeally need to get going!!” He blinked. “...I...I don't think they'd mind if you came along...I kinda want to spend some time with you, too, so...”

Levi chuckled, a softer look in his eyes. “Do you drive here or catch rides with friends?”

“The bus lines run by here in the morning. I come early with Armin so we can study before our math class. He goes home with Jean, though – they have your class together.”

“I'll take you, then. Just let me grab the rest of my work from my office. I'm not coming in tomorrow, not when I don't have any classes to teach. Erwin can fuck himself if he wants to call a department meeting.”

Eren started laughing as they got up.

* * *

 

Eren was right when he'd said the others wouldn't mind when he brought Levi. On the contrary, they were happy he'd finally gotten together with the one meant for him (and that they could return to the relationship they shared in their past...after that tragedy, the pair deserved it). Marco hadn't minded one bit that people were just as happy for the new couple, his own bonded – one Mina Carolina - chuckling over the whole thing.

“...I really am happy for you, Eren.” Mikasa said, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck, despite Annie's arms draped over her shoulders from behind where she sat next to her brother. They were still adopted siblings in this life, her parents having died in a car accident this time around instead of a murder. “Just know that I'll kick Levi's ass if he does anything to hurt you, him being one of my professors or not.”

Levi huffed. “Wouldn't expect anything less.”

Jean laughed from across the room, a blushing Armin in his arms, their tails twined together affectionately. “So, we've got...what, seven pairs now out of our group? And the whole 104th's got somebody, too?”

“Bets on who'll lose their ears first!!” Connie shouted from the kitchen, followed by a shout of pain as Sasha kicked him in the shin.

“Depending on who holds their alcohol the worst, I'd be willing to bet on that.” Reiner chuckled, dodging a smack from Bertholdt. “Hey, it's true!”

“Fuck you, you ass – you know half of us are horrible with booze!” Ymir snapped, holding Christa protectively. “Don't worry, my little goddess, I won't let them get away with trying to intoxicate you.” Said blond rolled her eyes and patted her taller girlfriend reassuringly on the shoulder.

Levi shook his head, pulling Eren closer to him as he smiled fondly. It was nice to know that all of them had changed very little in their time apart, reassuring almost. It made it easier to reconnect to the ones he once swore to protect with his very life. Feeling Eren snuggling further into his side, he leaned in to place a kiss to a brown ear, chuckling as it twitched lightly against his face.

Yes...he could get used to this. This feeling of finally belonging in this world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed the story, and again, I apologize for all the gutwrenching in this chapter. But everything turned out well. Everyone's happy. Yay!
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Short, I know, but it's more of an intro to what the story's gonna be...or something. Anyway, constructive criticism, people! I like anything that can help me improve!


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